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FRONTISPIECE. 


MERRY'S  BOOK 


OP 


BIRDS. 


EDITED    BY 

UNCLE   MERRY. 


N  E  W  -  Y  0  R  K  : 
H.  DAYTON,  No.   36   HOWARD   STREET. 

INDIANAPOLIS,    IND.  :    ASIIER    &    CO. 

1860. 


Unhr.  Ubniy,  UCSania  Cruz  1999 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress  in  the  year  1860,  by 

H.    DAYTON. 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States  for  the 

Southern  District  of  New  York. 


Vincent  L.  Dill,  Stkreotypeb,  J.  J.  Reed,  Printer, 

128  Fulton  Street,  43  k  45  Centre  Street, 


S'l 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE. 

Swallows 13 

My  Bird-Cage 17 

The  Stork 23 

Humming-Birds 26 

The  Lyre-Bird 31 

The  May  Fly 32 

The  Carrier-Pigeon 35 

Bh'ds—"  Little  Birds" 36 

Birds  Speaking  English 37 

Christmas  with  Birds 38 

The  BirdHunter 42 

The  Heron 44 

Fannie  and  her  dead  Chickens 47 

The  Umbrella  Bird 49 

The  Nest  Builders 51 

A  Short  Chapter  on  Birds 53 

The  Hoopoe 56 

The  Whip-Poor-Will 58 

Nest  of  the  Titmouse 64 

The  SwaUow-TaUed  Kite 67 

The  Toucan 68 

Seven  Birds'  Nests 70 

The  Peacocks 72 

The  Blackbird 76 

The  Dodo 78 

The  Egyptian  Vulture 80 

The  Loves  of  Birds 82 


VI  CONTENTS. 

PAGE. 

The  Golden  Eagle 87 

Little  Child  and  the  Robin 91 

The  Wild  Turkey 92 

The  Hawking  Party 94 

The  Partridge 96 

The  Ostrich  Rider 98 

The  Ostrich 100 

I'he  Bird's  Nest 101 

Wild  Pigeons  in  Paris 106 

The  First  Robin  in  Spring 108 

The  Faithful  Bird  Mother 117 

The  Bird  Mother 118 

Cured  of  Bird  Nesting 120 

The  Bittern 125 

The  Sparrow  and  the  Foundling 127 

The  Australian  Apteryx 130 

The  Dove 133 

The  Magpie 134 

The  Cormorant 137 

The  Bird  Battle 138 

Young  Birds  and  Children 141 

The  Bird's  Nest 148 

The  Turkey  Chase 154 

Story  of  the  Three  Geese 167 

Another 177 

The  Wrens  and  the  Oriole 184 

The  Jolly  Old  Crow 218 

Fairy  in  the  Wood 219 

The  Dove,  or  Pigeon 232 

The  Bird  Catcher 236 

The  Parrot 238 


ENGRAVINGS. 


PAOB 

*S\V  ALLOWS 13 

Bird  Cage 17 

The  Stork 22 

1'he  Ibis 24 

Humming  birds 26 

Lyre-bird 31 

Carrier  Pigeon 34 

UTie  Cage 36 

Christmas  with  the  Birds 41 

The  Heron 44 

Fannie  and  the  dead  Chickens 47 

The  Nest  Builders 51 

The  Songster 54 

The   Hoopoe 57 

Nest  of  the  Titmouse 65 

Swallow-tailed  Kite 67 

The  Toucan 68 

Seven  Bird's  Nests 70 

The  Peacock 74 

^rhe  Dodo 78 

The  Egyptian  Yulture 80 

The  Golden  Eagle 86 

Eagle  feeding  her  Young 88 

The  Washington  Eagle 90 

The  Wild  Turkey 92 

Partridges 96 


VIU  ENGRAVINGS. 

PAGE. 

The  Ostrich  Rider 98 

The  Bird's  Nest 101 

The   Garden 105 

Wild  Pigeons  in  Paris 106 

The  First  Robin  of  Spring 108 

Feeding  her  Young 116 

THe  Bird  Mother 118 

The  Birdlings 121 

The  Rescue 124 

The  Bittern 125 

Australian  Apteryx 130 

The  Flood  and  the  Dove 132 

The  Cormorant 137 

The  Bird  Battle 139 

The  Bird  and  the  Bug 143 

The  Bird  Triumphant 146 

The  Nest 148 

The  Turkey  Chase : 157 

The  Three  Geese 170 

Capture  of  the  Wrens 178 

Uncle  Alek's  Prize 189 

Cage  of  the  Wrens ,  201 

Birds  taking  a  Nap 208 

The  Jolly  Old  Crow 218 

The  Fairy  in  the  Wood 219 

Bird  Charmed  by  a  Snake 230 

The  Dove,  or  Pigeon.. 232 

The  Parrot 238 


PREFACE. 


r  REMEMBER  well,  that  I  once  thought  I  could 
-*-  catch  any  bi^:d,  if  I  could  only  sprinkle  a  little 
salt  on  his  tail.  I  did  not  stop  to  inquire  what 
good  the  salt  would  do.  I  took  it  for  granted, 
either  that  the  bird  could  not  fly  while  it  was  there, 
or  that  the  salt  would  make  him  so  tame,  that  he 
would  hop  into  my  hand  at  once.  How  many 
times  I  tried  the  experiment,  but  I  never  succeeded 
in  catching  the  bird.  Still,  I  could  not  positirely 
say  that  the  plan  would  not  work,  I  never  could  get 
near  enough  to  put  the  salt  in  the  right  place  ;  so 
that  the  way  is  still  open  for  any  who  wish  it,  to  try 
the  experiment  for  themselves.  If  any  one  should 
succeed,  I  hope  he  will  lose  no  time  in  reporting  the 
case  to  me,  with  all  the  particulars,  that  I  may  use 
it  in  my  next  edition,  or  perhaps  in  another  volume 
on  Birds  ;  for  I  would  like  exceedingly  to  show  to  all 
the  young  folks  how  birds  can  be  charmed,  and 
made  familiar,  without  being  trapped  and  caged,  or 
deprived  of  the  free  use  of  all  their  powers. 


X  PREFACE. 

In  the  mean  time,  I  have  brought  together  here, 
a  few  specimens  of  the  bird  family,  that  have  been 
charmed  on  to  the  paper  for  me,  by  an  art  peculiar 
to  the  engraver,  who  first  draws  them  without  touch- 
ing or  alarming  them,  and  then  cuts  them  without 
drawing  blood,  or  disturbing  a  feather,  and  then 
presses  them,  and  holds  them  fast,  without  at  all  in- 
terfering with  their  natural  liberty.  In  accomplish- 
ing all  this,  he  uses,  I  am  told,  a  kind  of  salt,  called 
attic  salt,  of  which  his  profession  has  the  monopoly 
— 'at  least,  they  monopolize  that  peculiar  variety 
which  is  needful  to  do  this  work — none  of  it  is  ever 
found  in  market  for  sale.  So  that  that  could  not 
have  been  the  kind  which  I  was  told  to  use. 

This  book  is  not  a  cage,  but  a  tree,  or  a  garden  ; 
wliere  the  birds  play  "  hide  and  seek  "  among  the 
leaves.  And  I  cordially  invite  my  young  friends, 
one  and  all,  to  enter  it  when  they  please,  examine 
the  birds,  handle  them,  talk  with  them,  and  learn 
all  they  can  about  them. 

They  will  be  sure  to  find  it  a  pleasant  and  a  pro- 
fitable study.  And  it  will  help  them  to  know  some- 
thing about  the  birds  they  see  in  the  forests  and  the 
fields,  their  habits  of  life,  and  how  they  should  be 


PREFACE.  XI 

treated.  Do  you  know  that  there  is  such  a  thing 
as  cultivating  birds,  without  shutting  them  up  in 
cages,  or  coops.  You  can,  if  you  will,  make  ac- 
quaintance with  many  kinds  of  birds,  and  get  them 
acquainted  with  you,  so  that  they  will  not  be  afraid 
when  you  approach  them,  they  will  often  come  to 
meet  you,  as  you  call  them,  or  go  out  to  feed  them. 
Even  many  of  the  wild  birds  have  been  tamed  to 
this  extent,  and  gradually  domesticated,  so  as  to  re- 
main about  the  ponds,  or  lakes,  to  which  they  have 
been  drawn,  and  even  to  make  companions  of  the 
tame  fowls  in  the  barn  yard.  To  secure  this  kind 
of  intercourse  and  acquaintance,  you  must  be  care- 
ful never  to  alarm  the  birds,  you  must  keep  guns 
out  of  their  way,  and  never  attempt  to  catch  them. 
Begin  by  supplying  them  with  the  food  they  like,  in 
their  own  way.  They  will  soon  learn  who  provides 
it  and  wait  for  his  coming,  and,  in  their  eagerness  to 
get  it,  will  approach  you  as  you  go  to  the  place 
where  you  leave  it.  Little  by  little,  they  will 
learn  that  you  are  a  friend,  and  not  an  enemy.  And 
this  is  all  you  wish  to  teach  them  :  they  will  trust 
you,  as  long  as  you  show  that  you  have  no  designs 
upon  tteir  liberty. 


trru^s  §0flli  of  ^irbs. 


SWALLOWS. 

¥E  were  going  to  say,  that  every  body  is  acquain- 
ted with  the  swallow,  but  in  fact,  there  are  few 
who  know,  that  there  are  four  kinds  of  swallow, 
perfectly  distinct  in  plumage  and  habits.  There  is 
the  sand-martin,  who  excavates  his  nests  in  a  sand- 
bank ;  the  twittering  blue-bodied  swallow,  who 
builds  in  our  chimneys,  the  house  martin,  who  nestles 
in  the  upper  angle  of  a  window,  or  under  the  jutting 
roof;  and  the  long-winged,  active  swifts,  known  by 
their  dark  plumage,  and  their  circling,  in  calm 
evenings,  at  a  great  height.  They  all  live  upon 
insects.     The  chimney  swallow  is  a  perfect  pattern 


14  merry'sbook 

of  maternal  affection  :  from  morning  to  night,  during 
the  whole  summer,  she  is  continually  skimming 
close  to  the  ground,  hunting  for  flies  for  her  young 
brood.  Bcwich  gives  an  amusing  account  of  a 
swallow  that  had  become  quite  attached  to  the 
children  by  whom  he  was  reared.  They  used  to  go 
out  to  the  fields  together,  the  bird  being  permitted 
to  fly  wherever  he  wished  ;  but  he  kept  always  cir- 
cling above  them  wherever  they  went.  When  one  of 
the  children  caught  a  fly,  he  called  the  swallow,  with 
a  whistle,  when  it  immediately  descended,  and 
perched  on  the  hand  of  the  child,  who  had  the  fly 
prepared  for  him. 

Swallows,  when  they  return  from  warm  climates, 
usually  occupy  the  nests  they  left  the  fall  before,  if 
they  can  find  them.  Once,  upon  a  time,  a  sparrow 
who  was  too  lazy  to  make  a  nest  for  herself,  had 
occupied  a  swallow's  nest,  laid  her  eggs,  and  begun 
to  sit  upon  them,  when  the  owner  appeared.  The 
swallow  tried  every  way  she  could  think  of  to  make 
the  sparrow  give  up  the  nest ;  but  no,  she  was  deter- 
mined, like  some  other  fraudulent  beings,  to  keep 
what  she  had  got.  At  last  the  swallow  flew  away 
for  a  little  while,  and  then  returned,  accompanied  by 
many  other  swallows,  each  with  a  little  well- tem- 
pered mortar  in  his  bill,  with  which  they  closed  up 
the  opening  of  the  nest,  and  left  the  poor  sparrow 
to  perish  by  suffocation,  or  hunger,  or  both. 

This  story,  though  almost  incredible,  is  said  by 
naturalists  to  be  true. 


O  P     B  I  R  D  S.  15 

When  I  see  boys  or  grown-up  men  amusing  them- 
selves with  shooting  swallows,  I  am  willing  to  be- 
lieve that  they  do  not  think  of  the  misery  which 
they  are  causing.  To  kill  a  swallow  flying,  may  be 
a  very  difficult  thing  ;  and  shooting  of  this  kind  may 
be  thought  very  good  practice  :  but  the  Creator  did 
not  make  swallows  that  they  might  be  put  to  death 
for  amusement  or  for  practice. 

Some  birds  do  a  great  deal  of  harm  to  our  fields 
and  gardens  ;  and  to  destroy  them  seems  to  be  a 
matter  of  self-defence  ;  but  the  poor  swallow  does 
us  no  harm  at  all :  there  is  reason  to  think  that 
he  is  sent  to  do  us  good.  When  he  is  darting 
through  the  air,  and  wheeling  round  and  round  so 
swiftly  that  the  eye  can  hardly  follow  him,  he  is 
catching  flies,  which  are  intended  to  be  his  food. 
Many  thousands  and  millions  of  flies  are  destroyed 
in  this  way  :  and  if  they  were  all  suffered  to  live, 
they  would  in  time  cover  the  earth  ;  and  we  should 
be  as  badly  off  as  the  Egyptians,  when  God  sent 
upon  them  the  plague  of  flies  and  other  insects.  We 
ought  to  feel  much  obliged  to  the  swallows  for  les- 
sening the  number  of  these  troublesome  guests. 

We  should  also  remember,  that  the  swallows  come 
to  our  houses  and  barns  to  build  their  nests.  They 
set  about  this  very  soon  after  their  arrival ;  and 
when  their  young  ones  are  strong  enough  to  fly,  they 
all  leave  the  country.  It  is  hardly  possible,  there- 
fore, to  kill  a  swallow,  without  robbing  some  little 
birds  of  a  father  or  a  mother.     The  female  swallow 


16 

leaves  her  nest  on  a  summer's  evening,  and  fills  her 
beak  with  flies.  But  she  does  not  catch  them  only 
for  herself :  she  has  some  young  children  at  home, 
and  she  is  thinking  of  them  all  the  time  that  she  is 
gliding  through  the  air  after  her  prey. 

When  she  is  returning  to  her  nest  with  her  mouth 
full  of  food,  she  is  suddenly  struck  with  a  shot,  and 
down  she  drops  to  the  ground,  bleeding  and  dead. 

This  may  be  sport  for  the  boys,  but  I  call  it  down- 
right cruelty  and  robbery  to  the  birdlings  in  the 
nest  waiting  for  the  Mother  bird  to  come  home  and 
feed  them,  as  she  has  been  used  to  do. 

The  birds  love  their  home  and  children,  and  are 
as  earnest  and  devoted  to  them  as  we  are  ;  and  I 
hope  none  who  read  this  this  book  will  ever  be 
guilty  of  killing  one  of  these  little  ones. 


OF     BIRDS. 


IT 


MY     BIRD-CAGE. 


I  HAVE  always  been  fond  of  studying  the  habits 
of  the  bird  race,  and  have  already  indulged  myself 
by  appearing  under  tlie  title  of  Minnie,  in  "  Birds 
at  Home."  Now  my  birds  are  as  much  at  home  in 
their  cage,  as  the  free  and  unimprisoned  songster  in 
the  wood.  They  were  born  and  bred  in  a  store, 
where  feathered  companions,  of  all  sorts,  colors,  and 
countries,  vied  with  them  in  making  the  greatest 
noise  possible.  To  them  the  green,  shady  forest, 
with  its  tall,  waving  trees  and  its  rustling  leaves,  is 
unknown  ;  the  sparkling  brook,  in  which  they  might 
dip  their  feathers,  or  drink  refreshing  drops,  is  to 


18  merry'sbook 

them  represented  bj  a  long  tin  basin,  with  water  iu 
it,  bought  for  so  much  a  pail  ;  and  their  food,  instead 
of  being  sought  and  found  by  them,  is  daily  supplied 
by  the  hand  of  their  mistress.  Yet  there  is  an  in- 
stinctive love  for  green  branches  and  fresh  earth, 
that  shows  itself  in  birds  who,  for  generations  back, 
have  been  the  inhabitants  of  cages.  I  bought  a 
plant,  at  the  flower-market,  with  long,  slender  limbs, 
and  full  of  flowers ;  and,  setting  it  within  their 
large  cage,  I  withdrew  a  little  to  watch  the  effect 
of  it.  For  a  moment  they  all  remained  transfixed  : 
then,  one  by  one,  they  gradually  approached  the 
unknown  object,  and  finally  all  lodged  in  its  branch- 
es, investigating  every  leaf  and  flower,  dancing  up 
and  down,  picking  in  the  earth,  or  singing  with 
delight  at  their  new,  but  natural  position. 

I  have  a  pair  of  Canaries,  of  a  pale  yellow,  both 
great  pets  :  and  knowing  that  they  are  a  very  pre- 
suming couple,  the  first  drink  from  the  fresh  water, 
the  first  plunge  into  the  bath,  the  largest  seed,  and 
the  first  bite  at  the  sugar,  are  claimed  by  them  ; 
and  woe  to  any  other  hungry  little  fellow  who  dares 
approach  them  when  thus  employed  ! — he  is  liable  to 
a  sharp  peck,  and  to  any  quantity  of  grimaces  and 
threatenings.  The  life  of  the  male  is  quite  a  little 
romance  in  itself.  He  is  a  remarkably  dignified  bird, 
moving  with  stateliness  along  the  perches,  looking 
daggers  at  the  other  birds  who  happen  to  touch  him, 
and  never  unbending  except  to  me  ;  but  me  he  kisses 
regularly  every  day,  when  I  go  to  wish  them  all 


OF     B  IR  D  S.  19 

good  morning,  and  will  come  out  of  his  cage  to  me 
at  any  moment.  I  know  that  this  is  half  because  he 
thinks  there  is  a  piece  of  sugar  in  perspective,  but 
the  other  half  is  love  for  me  ;  for  others  might  offer 
him  a  whole  sugar-loaf,  or  a  plantation  of  sugar  cane, 
and  they  could  not  prevail  upon  him  to  accept,  or 
even  look  at  their  bribes.  I  bought  him  first,  and 
had  him  alone  for  a  month  or  so  ;  and  then  fearing 
he  was  lonely,  I  bought  a  lovely,  bright-eyed  little 
wife  for  him,  and  expected  he  would  be  very  happy. 
Would  you  believe  it  ? — for  weeks  he  would  take  no 
notice  of  her,  except  to  peck  her  when  she  came 
and  sat  by  him,  chirping  her  friendship,  in  a  soft 
sweet  voice,  that,  to  look  at  him,  you  would  have 
thought  was  a  peacock  screaming,  or  a  pencil  squeak- 
ing on  a  slate.  Finally,  however,  he  seemed  to  begin 
to  appreciate  her,  and  as  one  by  one  new  birds  began 
to  arrive  in  the  cage,  he  allowed  her  to  be  more 
with  him,  and  began  to  whisper  to  her,  now  and  then. 
Whether  he  was  telling  her  that  he  liked  her  better, 
or  merely  making  remarks  against  the  new  comers, 
I  do  not  know. 

About  a  month  ago,  I  opened  the  cage-door,  as 
usual,  and  out  came  the  pair,  to  take  their  morning 
exercise  to  look  for  sugar  that  we  would  hide,  or  to 
pick  up  crumbs  of  bread  and  cake  under  the  break- 
fast-table. I  never  saw  a  tamer  or  more  interesting 
little  bird  than  Madam  Canary.  She  had  a  hundred 
amusing  ways  peculiar  to  herself.  She  would  play 
hide  with  a  piece  of  sugar,  screaming  aloud  with 


20  merry'sbook 

delight  when  she  found  it  in  a  great  curl  of  my 
brother's  hair,  run  after  it  along  the  floor  as  fast  as 
we  could  roll  it,  or  fly  into  some  corner,  and  then 
call  us  in  a  loud  voice  to  find  her.  I  was  beginning 
to  think  of  teaching  her  to  wheel  a  wheel-barrow, 
or  fire  a  miniature  cannon,  when  her  little  lamp  of 
life  w^as  rudely  blown  out,  and  poor  gentleman  Ca- 
nary was  a  widower  !  I  was  going  out  of  the  room 
in  a  hurry,  to  shut  the  door  before  the  bird  could 
follow  me.  I  was  either  too  quick  or  not  quick 
enough  ;  for  the  spirited  Mrs.  Canary  was  deter- 
mined to  go  with  me,  and  the  door  struck  her,  not 
hard,  but  just  enough  to  snap  her  frail  little  life,  and 
without  a  word,  she  fell  dead  at  my  feet.  We  all 
stood  flabbergasted  for  a  moment  ;  then  my  brother 
picked  her  up,  and  I  ran  out  of  the  room.  Fifteen 
minutes  had  not  passed  away,  when  I  heard  my 
name  called,  and  with  red  eyes,  (I  am  not  ashamed 
to  admit  that  I  cried  somewhat,)  I  came  to  see  what 
was  wanted.  In  the  cage  was  a  bird  so  like  the 
little  one  I  had  just  killed,  that  for  a  moment  I  was 
startled  ;  but  it  was  only  for  a  moment,  for,  as  I 
approached  the  cage,  she  flew  from  instead  of  towards 
me,  and  I  saw  that  the  place  of  the  bird  had  been 
made  good,  but  not  the  affection  or  manner.  The 
widower  (Socrates)  will  have  nothing  to  say  to  her, 
and  she  proves  a  perfect  Xantippe  toward  him,  do- 
ing all  in  her  power  to  make  his  life  uncomfortable. 
Within  a  day  or  two,  I  have  separated  them,  and  he 
is  now  rather  more  at  peace,  though  he  has  looked 


0  F     B  I  R  D  S  .  21 

sad  since  his  mate  died.     Unappreciated  until  lost, 
I  suppose  he  sings, 

♦'  Blessings  brighten  as  they  take  their  flight !" 

I  have,  among  others,  a  finch  with  a  tail  seven  or 
eight  inches  long,  called  a  veuve,  (widow,)  whether 
because  she  is  dressed  in  a  deep  velvety  black  or 
not,  I  have  not  discovered  ;  but  I  know  that  she 
comes  from  Whida,  on  the  coast  of  Africa  ;  and  we, 
having  contracted  and  distorted  the  pronunciation 
of  Whida  finch  to  Widow  finch,  have  perhaps  been 
copied  by  the  French.  Strange  to  tell,  after  I  had 
had  her  two  days,  her  long  ornamental  feathers 
came  out !  and  my  brother  was  sure  they  were  only 
glued  on  ;  but,  inquiring,  I  found  she  was  moulting. 
I  should  not  however,  have  been  greatly  astonished, 
had  I  been  cheated  in  my  desire  for  birds  "  new, 
wonderful  and  strange,"  for  a  friend  of  mine  bought 
a  beautiful  plumaged  fellow,  who  left  all  his  bril- 
liancy in  his  bathing  tub,  the  day  after  the  purchase  ; 
and  1  have  heard  of  a  gentleman  buying  a  new 
breed  of  hens,  whose  feathers  curled  most  becom- 
ingly, but  for  the  want  of  being  put  up  in  papers, 
and  being  pinched  with  hot  irons,  were  soon  as 
straight  and  as  common  as  before. 


22 


merry's    book 


THE     STORK 


0  F     B  I  R  D  S  .  23 


THE     STORK. 

IN  form,  the  stork  and  the  ibis,  the  sacred  bird  of 
the  Egyptians,  resemble  each  other.  Tliey  both 
have  legs  like  a  crane — so  slender,  as  to  seem  unable 
to  sustain  the  large  body  of  the  bird.  The  ibis  is 
black.  The  white  stork  is  from  three  and  a  half  to 
four  feet  in  height,  including  the  neck.  Because  of 
the  slight,  long  legs,  it  walks  very  slowly,  and  with 
measured  steps,  like  a  soldier  marching.  Its  flight 
is  wonderful,  being  very  long  continued,  and  in  the 
higher  regions  of  the  air. 

Storks  are  birds  of  passage.  They  live  in  the 
deserts  of  Africa  and  Arabia,  in  the  winter  season. 
In  summer  they  return  to  the  cool  climates,  where 
they  build  their  nests  on  old  towers  and  belfries,  and 
chimneys  of  the  highest  houses,  and  tall,  dead  trees. 
Both  ibis  and  stork  feed  on  reptiles,  such  as  ser- 
pents, lizards,  toads,  etc.,  and  in  marshy  tracts,  the 
people  fix  a  cart  wheel  by  the  center,  to  a  long  pole, 
and  the  storks  rarely  fail  to  build  there.  It  seems 
to  suit  them  admirably  ;  and  for  years  the  faithful 
pairs  return — this  they  all  do,  to  their  nests,  inhab- 
iting them  for  many  years.  The  eggs  are  never  less 
than  two,  and  seldom  exceed  four. 

The  Bible  says,  "  As  for  the  stork,  the  fir-tree  is 
her  house."  Upon  the  fields  between  Cana  and 
Nazareth,  they  were  in  such  numbers,  that  the 
ground  was  whitened  by  them  ;  and  in  their  flight 


24 


MERRYS     BOOK 


tliey  darkened  the  air  like  great  clouds.  The  stork 
"  knoweth  her  appointed  time  f  this  is  the  time  for 
passing  from  one  land  to  another.     A  fortnight  pre- 


vious to  this,  they  collect  from  aU  the  country 
around,  and  appear  to  be  in  council,  and  are  said  by 
some  to  determine  the  exact  time  of  departure,  and 


O  F     B  I  R  D  S  .  25 

place  of  future  abode.  At  an  amazing  height  they 
soar — tlie  Bible  says,  "  in  the  lieaven." 

Cuvier  says,  "  that  in  mummies  of  the  ibis  there 
have  been  found  undigested  parts  of  skin  and  scales 
of  serpents." 

Many,  of  both  ibis  and  stork,  are  in  and  around 
Constantinople,  and  are  useful,  because  they  feed  on 
vermin,  and  garbage  of  the  shambles,  and  refuse  of 
the  houses.  The  Turks  esteem  these  birds  highly. 
The  tall,  round  pillars  of  the  towers  on  the  mosques 
of  Bagdad  are  without  a  cone  on  the  top,  differing 
in  this  from  the  mosques  of  Constantinople.  On 
the  former  the  storks  delight  to  build,  and  the 
cylindrical  nest  of  great  sticks  makes  a  capital  (lit- 
erally), especially  when  the  stork's  head  is  out  for  a 
finish. 

In  Holland  and  Germany  the  stork  is  universally 
protected.  Boxes  arc  built  for  them  on  the  tops  of 
houses  ;  and  it  is  regarded  as  an  excellent  omen 
when  a  stork  builds  upon  a  man's  house.  They  are 
easily  tamed,  and  have  been  tamed  to  remain  in 
gardens,  where  they  destroy  the  reptiles.  It  is  a 
sober,  stately  bird,  with  its  almost  solemn  way  of 
walking  ;  but  a  writer  has  said  that  one  or  two  had 
been  known  to  join  the  play  of  children  who  fre- 
quented the  grounds  daily.  One  of  these  was  the 
game  of  "  tag,^^  and  wlien  the  bird  was  touched  with 
tag,  like  the  children,  it  would  mak*e  its  pipe-stem 
legs  fly  about  merrily,  in  a  regular  run. 


26 


merry's    book 


HUMMING-BIRDS. 

A  GENTLEMAN  who  made  a  voyage  up  the  river 
Amazon,  and  who  afterwards  published  an  ac- 
count of  his  travels  in  that  part  of  the  country 
through  which  this  noble  stream  flows,  gives  some 
interesting  particulars  respecting  the  humming-birds 
he  saw.  There  are  varieties  of  this  bird  there,  which 
■are  never  seen  among  us.  They  are  much  more 
abundant,  too,  in  that  country,  than  they  are  here. 
"  Wherever,''  says  this  writer,  "  a  creeping  vine 
opens  its  fragrant  cluster,  or  wherever  a  tree-flower 
blooms,  these  little  things  may  be  seen.  In  the 
garden  or  in  the  woods,  over  the  water,  everywhere, 
they  are  darting  about,  of  all  sizes — from  one  tliat 


0  F     B  I  R  D  S  .  27 

might  easily  be  mistaken  for  a  different  variety  of 
bird,  to  the  Hermit,  whose  body  is  not  half  the  size 
of  the  bees  buzzing  about  the  same  sweets.  The 
blossoms  of  the  inga-treo  bring  them  in  great  num- 
l)crs.  Sometimes  they  are  seen  chasing  each  other 
in  sport,  with  such  a  rapidity  of  flight,  and  with 
such  a  winding  path,  that  the  eye  is  puzzled  to  follow 
them.  Again,  circling  round  and  round,  tlicy  rise 
high  in  mid  air,  then  dart  off,  like  light,  to  some 
distant  object.  Perched  upon  a  little  limb,  they 
smooth  their  plumes,  and  seem  to  delight  in  their 
dazzling  hues  ;  then,  starting  off  leisurely,  they  skim 
along,  stopping  a  moment,  perhaps,  just  to  kiss  the 
flowerets.  Often  two  meet  in  the  air,  and  furiously 
fight,  their  crests  and  the  feathers  upon  their  throats 
all  erected  and  blazing,  and  altogether  pictures  of 
the  most  violent  rage.  Several  times  we  saw  them 
battling  with  large  black  bees,  who  frequent  the 
same  flowers,  and  may  be  supposed  often  to  interfere 
provokingly.  Like  lightning,  our  little  heroes 
would  come  down,  but  the  coat  of  shining  mail 
would  ward  their  furious  strokes  ;  again  and  again 
would  they  renew  the  attack,  until  their  anger  had 
expended  itself,  or  until  the  bee,  once  roused,  had 
put  forth,  powers  that  drove  the  invader  from  the 
field.  A  boy  in  the  city  several  times  brought  us 
humming-birds,  alive,  in  a  glass  cage.  He  had 
brought  them  down  while,  standing  motionless  in  the 
air  they  rifled  the  flowers,  by  balls  of  clay  thrown 
from  a  hollowed  tube. 


28  merry'sbook 

Wilson  sajs  that  the  onl}'  note  of  the  humming- 
bird is  a  chirp,  not  much  louder  than  that  of  a 
cricket  or  grasshopper.  It  is  generally  uttered 
while  the  bird  is  passing  from  flower  to  flower,  or 
when  he  is  engaged  in  a  fight  with  some  one  of  his 
neighbors.  "  I  have  seen  the  humming-bird  attack^ 
and,  for  a  few  moments,  worry  a  king-bird,"  says 
tlie  same  writer,  "  I  have  also  seen  him,  in  his  turn, 
assaulted  by  a  humble  bee,  wliich  he  soon  put  to 
flight.  He  is  one  of  those  few  birds  that  are  uni- 
versally beloved." 

Formerly  humming-birds  were  supposed  to  live 
entirely  on  the  honey  they  collected  from  the  flowers. 
But  it  is  now  certain  that  they  feed,  in  part  at 
least,  on  insects.  Indeed,  I  have  seen  the  little  fel- 
lows engaged  in  fly-catching,  and  it  seemed  to  be 
very  pretty  sport  for  them.  Perhaps  their  errand 
to  the  flowers  has  as  much  to  do  with  the  capture  of 
insects  they  find  there,  as  with  the  honey  at  the  bot- 
tom of  the  corolla.  I  think  it  quite  likely,  in  fact, 
though  I  do  not  agree  with  those  who  tell  us,  that 
the  humming-bird  eats  insects  only,  and  that  he  has 
nothing  to  do  with  honey  ;  for  it  is  found,  that, 
when  the  bird  is  confined  for  a  while  in  the  house, 
until  he  becomes  hungry,  he  eats  honey  and  sugar 
witli  a  good  relish. 

There  are  seventy  kinds  of  humming-birds,  nearly 
all  of  tliem  natives  of  America  ;  yet  only  one  kind 
visits  the  United  States,  where  it  is  well  known,  as 
it  frequents  the  gardens,  and  sips  the  honey  from 


0  F     B  I  R  D  S  .  29 

tl^e  honey-suckle  and  other  plants,  like  the  hive  and 
humble  bee.  It  is  several  times  larger  than  the  lat- 
ter, but  flies  so  swiftly  as  almost  to  elude  the  sight. 
Its  wings,  when  it  is  balancing  over  the  flower,  pro- 
duce a  humming  sound,  which  gives  name  to  the 
bird.  It  is  the  smallest  of  the  feathered  race,  and 
is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  in  the  elegance  of  its 
form,  and  the  glossy  brilliancy  of  its  delicate 
plumage.  Small  as  it  is,  however,  it  is  exceedingly 
courageous,  and  has  violent  passions.  If  it  find  that 
a  flower  has  been  deprived, of  its  honey,  it  will 
pluck  it  off,  throw  it  on  the  ground,  and  sometimes 
tear  it  to  pieces  ;  and  it  often  fights  with  a  desperate 
fury,  which  is  astonishing  in  a  creature  of  such 
diminutive  size.  It  will  even  allow  a  man  to  come 
within  two  yards  of  it  before  it  will  take  to  flight. 
Humming  birds  are  caught  by  blowing  water  on 
them  from  a  tube,  or  shooting  at  them  with  sand, 

The  length  of  this  bird  is  three  inches  ;  it  lives 
partly  on  honey  obtained  from  flowers,  but  devours 
also  great  quantities  of  very  small  insects.  The 
general  color  is  a  rich  golden  green  on  the  upper 
parts.     The  breast  and  neck  are  of  a  dusky  white. 

The  nest  of  this  little  bird  is  fixed  on  the  upper 
side  of  the  branch  of  a  tree.  Instances  have  been 
known  of  its  building  on  an  old  moss-gro\\;n  trunk, 
or  on  a  strong  weed  in  the  garden  :  but  these  cases 
are  rare.  The  nest  is  about  an  inch  in  diameter  and 
an  inch  deep,  formed  of  gossamers,  and  of  the 
downy   substance   from  the   great    mullien.      The 


30 


MERRYS     BOOK 


female  lavs  two  eggs,  which  are  of  a  pure  white 
color.  If  any  one  approaches  the  nest,  the  little 
creatures  dart  around  with  a  humming  sound,  fre- 
quently passing  witliin  a  few  inches  of  a  person's 
head.  His  only  note  is  a  single  chirp,  not  louder 
tlian  that  of  a  cricket  or  grasshopper. 

The  humming-bird  is  a  general  favorite.  His 
flight  from  flower  to  flower  resembles  that  of  a  bee, 
but  is  infinitely  more  rapid.  He  poises  himself  in 
the  air,  moving  his  wings  so  as  to  look  like  a  thin 
and  golden  mist,  while  he  thrusts  his  long  slender 
bill  into  the  flowers  in  search  of  food.  He  some- 
times enters  a  room  by  the  window,  examines  the 
flowers  on  the  mantlepiece,  and  passes  out  by  the 
opposite  door  or  window. 


OF     BIRDS 


31 


THE  LYRE-BIRD. 

IF  ''  all  men  are  liars,"  there  are  also  some  lyre- 
birds. Here  is  one.  He  don't  look  as  if  he  could 
be  trusted,  with  all  that  burden  of  fuss  and  feathers 
on  his  back.  It  would  seem  as  if  any  puff  of  wind 
would  blow  him  over.  *'  Right  side  up  with  care/' 
would  be  a  difficult  matter  in  a  gale.  So  it  is  with 
men-liars.  Nothing  keeps  a  man  or  a  boy  so  straiglit, 
perpendicular,  upright,  as  truthfulness.  Nothing 
makes  hitn  top-heavy,  unsteady,  and  unreliable,  like 
a  habit  of  lying. 


S2 


THE  MAY  FLY. 

"The  Angler's  May-fly  is  the  most  short-lived  in  its  perfect  state  of  any  d 
the  insect  race,  emerges  from  the  water,  where  it  passes  its  aurelia  state, 
about  six  in  the  evening,  and  dies  about  eleven  at  night." — White's  Seh 
borne.  '  ' 

The  sun  of  the  eve  was  warm  and  bright 
I  When  the  May-fly  burst  his  shell, 

And  he  wanton'd  awhile  in  that  fair  hght 

O'er  the  river's  gentle  swell ; 
And  the  deepening  tints  of  the  crimson  sky 
Still  gleam'd  on  the  wing  of  the  glad  May-fly. 

The  colors  of  sunset  passed  away, 

The  crimson  and  yellow  green, 
And  the  evening-star's  first  twinkling  ray 

In  the  WaTeless  stream  was  seen  ; 
Till  the  deep  repose  of  the  stillest  night 
Was  hushing  about  his  giddy  flight 

The  noon  of  the  night  is  nearly  come— 

There's  a  crescent  in  the  sky  ; — 
The  silence  still  hears  the  myriad  hum 

Of  the  insect  revelry. 
The  hum  has  ceas'd — the  quiet  wave 
Is  now  the  sportive  May-fly's  grave. 

Oh  !  thine  was  a  blessed  lot — to  spring 

In  thy  lustihood  to  air. 
And  to  sail  about^  on  untiring  wing, 

Through  a  world  most  rich  and  fair, 
To  drop  at  once  in  thy  watery-bed, 
Like  a  leaf  that  the  willow  branch  has  shed. 

And  who  shall  say  that  his  thread  of  years 

Is  a  life  more  blest  than  thine  ! 
Has  his  feverish  dream  of  doubts  and  fears 

Such  joys  as  those  which  shine 


•A 


0  P     B  I  R  D  S  .  33 

In  the  constant  pleasures  of  thy  way, 
Most  happy  child  of  the  happy  May  1 

For  thou  wert  born  when  the  earth  was  clad 

With  her  robe  of  buds  and  flowers, 
And  didst  float  about  with  a  soul  as  glad 

As  a  bird  in  the  sunny  showers  ; 
And  the  hour  of  thy  death  had  a  sweet  repose, 
Like  a  melody,  sweetest  at  its  close. 

Nor  too  brief  the  date  of  thy  cheerful  race — 

'Tis  its  use  that  measures  time — 
And  the  mighty  spirit  that  fills  all  space 

With  His  life  and  His  will  sublime, 
May  see  that  the  May -fly  and  the  Man 

Each  flutter  out  the  same  small  span. 

And  the  fly  that  is  born  with  the  sinking  sun 

To  die  ere  the  midnight  hour, 
May  have  deeper  joy,  ere  his  course  bfe  run. 

Than  man  in  his  pride  and  power  ; 
And  the  insect's  minutes  be  spared  the  fears 
And  the  anxious  doubts  of  our  threescore  years. 

The  years  and  the  minutes  are  as  one — 

The  fly  drops  in  his  twilight  mirth. 
And  the  man,  when  his  long  day's  work. is  done, 

Crawls  to  the  self-same  earth. 
Great  Father  of  each  !  may  our  mortal  day 
Be  the  prelude  to  an  endless  May. 


34 


M  E  R  R  Y     S     BOOK 


"-^-^^^ 


THE     CARRIER     PIGEON. 


0  F     B  I  R  D  S  .  35 

THE    CARRIER-PiGEON. 

PIGEONS  have  been  put  to  the  remarkable  pur- 
pose of  acting  as  carriers  of  letters  or  other 
light  objects.  They  liave  great  power  of  flight,  and 
will  go  long  distances  and  never  fail  to  return  home. 
A  particular  species,  larger  than  the  common  pigeon, 
is  trained  for  the  purpose,  and  in  some  countries  the 
rearing  of  them  forms  a  lucrative  employment. 
The  instinct  which  has  rendered  the  carrier-pigeon 
so  serviceable,  is  the  strong  desire  manifested  by  all 
pigeons  to  return  to  the  place  of  their  residence  ; 
and  man  has  adopted  various  measures  to  make  their 
return  on  particular  occasions  more  certain. 

A  male  and  female  are  usually  kept  together  and 
treated  well ;  and  one  of  them,  when  taken  else- 
where, is  supposed  to  have  the  greater  inducement 
to  come  back. 

It  is  obvious  that  the  carrier-pigeon  can  only  be' 
employed  in  conformity  with  some  previously  con- 
templated plan,  for  which  the  proper  preparations 
have  been  made.  It  must  have  been  taken  from  a 
place  to  which  it  is  desired  to  return,  and  be  tempo- 
rarily at  the  place  from  which  the  intelligence  is  to 
be  conveyed. 

It  is  usually  taken  to  that  place  hood-winked,  or 
in  a  basket  covered  ;  the  instinct  by  which  it  finds 
its  way  back,  must  therefore  be  independent  of  all 
knowledge  of  the  intermediate  places. 

When  the  moment  for  employing  it  has  arrived, 
the  person  requiring  its  services  writes  a  message  on 


36 


MSERY8     BOOK 


a  tliin  piece  of  paper,  which  is  placed  lengthwise 
under  the  wing,  and  fastened  by  a  pin  to  one  of  the 
feathers.  On  being  released,  the  carrier  ascends  to 
a  great  height,  takes  one  or  two  turns  in  the  air,  and 
then  commences  its  career  at  the  rate  of  forty  miles 
an  hour,  or  about  a  thousand  a  day. 

It  was  not  long  since  a  pigeon  was  employed  in 
this  way  to  carry  messages  between  Hatifax  and 
Boston.  There  are  many  pretty  stories  of  the 
achievements  of  this  bird  in  the  affairs  of  love  and 
romance,  and  it  has  often  been  the  theme  of  poetry 
and  of  song. 


BIRDS—'*  LITTLE  BIRDS.'^ 

AS  described  by  ornithologists,  the  instinct  of 
certain  kinds  of  birds — "  little  birds/' — leads 
them  to  lead  an  enemy  away  from  their  nests  by 
pretending  to  be  so  wounded  as  to  enable  the  pursuer 
to  catch  them  easily.  They  will  run  along  on  the 
ground  before  the  enemy,  pretending  to  be  unable 
to  fly,  but  taking  good  care  to  keep  out  of  real 
harm's  way. 


0  F     B  I  R  D  S  .  37 


BIRDS   SPEAKING  ENGLISH. 

A  TRAVELER  in  South  America,  speaking  of  the 
birds  of  his  native  land,  says  it  is  pleasant  to 
notice  that,  in  whatever  strange  countries  they  may 
have  Wandered  during  winter,  and  whatever  strange 
tongues  they  may  have  heard,  they  nevertheless 
come  back  speaking  English,  Hark  !  "  Phoebe  I 
Phoebe  1"  plain  enough.  And  by-and-by  the  bobo- 
link, saying.  Bob  o'  Lincoln  ;"  and  the  quail,  saying, 
"  Bob  White."  We  have  heard  of  one  who  always 
thought  the  robin  said,  "  Skillet  I  skillet  I  three  legs 
to  a  skillet !  two  legs  to  a  skillet  I"  A  certain  face- 
tious doctor  says  the  robins  cry  out  to  him,  as  he 
passes  along  the  road,  "  Kill  W  !  cure  'em,  physic  I 
physic  !  physic  !"  The  whip-poor-will  talks  English 
plain  enough,  the  world  over  ;  but  crows  talk  Dutch, 
and  are  the  most  accommodating  birds  in  the  world, 
for  they  always  yield  assent,  with  a  "yaw,  yaw, 
yaw,"  even  if  you  ask  leave  to  shoot  them,  but  ten 
to  one  if  they  don't  fly  away  while  they  say  it. 

Frogs,  both  great  and  small,  talk  excellent  English. 
If  you  doubt,  go  and  walk  by  the  pond  on  a  still 
May  evening,  and  very  likely  they  will  tell  you  the 
the  name  of  your  sweetheart,  or  blaze  to  all  the 
world  something  that  you  have  been  doing,  and  that 
you  would  rather  not  have  made  public. 


38 


merry's    book 


CHRISTMAS     WITH    THE     BIRDS. 


EORGIE,  Yih^t  do  you 
think  becomes  of  all  the  lit- 
tle birds  in  the  cold,  north- 
ern countries,  when  the 
ground  is  covered  with  deep 
snow  all  the  winter  ?  It  is 
^'^tM?"  a  very  hard  time  for  them, 
I  assure  you,  for  there  are 
only  a  few  berries  left  on 
the  trees  ;  but  some  of  them 
manage  to  live  on  these, 
and  find  a  little  corner  in  the  thick  straw  roof 
of  some  friendly  cottage.  A  great  many  leathered 
travelers  fly  away  to  warmer  countries,  where  the 
winter  is  not  so  severe  ;  but  some  that  stay  behind, 
perish  with  cold  and  hunger. 

But  I  will  tell  you  what  the  people  in  Norway  do 
for  them.  They,  as  well  as  we,  are  very  fond  of 
having  a  "  merry  Christmas  and  a  happy  New-Year.'- 
Can  you  fancy  a  home  among  the  mountains  the  day 
before  Christmas  ?  The  snow  is  all  over  the  house 
and  garden,  and  all  the  country  round  ;  and  though 
the  sun  shines  on  it,  tinging  it  with  beautiful  colors, 
it  does  not  melt  it.  Well,  in-doors,  every  one  is  as 
busy  as  busy  can  be  ;  even  the  children  find  something 
to  do  ;  for,  most  likely,  a  lot  of  little  cousins  are  com- 
ing to  spend  Christmas  with  them.   But  not  only  do 


0  F     B  I  R  D  S  .  39 

these  kind  people  think  of  being  liappy  and  comfort- 
able themselves,  but  they  do  not  forget  the  little 
birds  out  in  the  cold.  So,  before  the  sun  sets,  all  the 
children  are  muffled  up  in  furs  and  hoods,  and  go  out 
to  help  in  the  fun  of  giving  the  birds  a  "  Merry 
Christmas."  The  boys  have  great  snow-shoes  on, 
which  are  something  like  little  boats,  only  narrower  ; 
and  with  these  they  slide  about  over  the  snow  till  they 
are  quite  warm.  Presently  the  good  man  of  the 
house  comes  out  of  the  barn  with  a  sheaf  of  un- 
threshed  corn  fastened  on  to  a  long  pole  ;  and  a  great 
shout  the  children  set  up  as  he  comes.  They  then 
stick  the  pole  into  the  ground  by  the  side  of  the  house, 
and  the  corn  stands  up,  and  looks  as  if  it  were  in- 
viting all  the  birds  to  come  and  have  a  feast.  In  a 
short  time  the  birds  come,  twittering  and  chattering 
round  the  house,  and  flying  into  the  sheaf,  and  get- 
ting out  the  full  ripe  corn  ;  and  more  and  more  keep 
gathering  round,  till  they  make  quite  a  large  party. 

When  the  sun  sets,  which  it  soon  does,  they  go  in 
and  gather  round  a  great  fire  made  of  pine-wood  ; 
and  the  boys  bring  in  a  large  log  to  make  a  blaze  ; 
so  the  evening  passes  very  merrily,  as  they  sit  round 
the  fire,  singing  Christmas  songs,  or  telling  tales. 

This  custom  of  feeding  the  birds,  is  called  "  Jules- 
kik,"^'  or  "  Christmas  custom  ;"  "  Jule  "  meaning 
Christmas.  Now,  we  are  fond  of  having  a  good 
log  on  Christmas  Eve,  and  you  may  have  heard 
your  elder  brothers  and  sisters  call  it  a  "  Yule  Log." 

*  Pronounced   Yuleskik. 


40  merry'sbook 

Wei],  it  is  from  this  old  Norwegian  word  that  our 
word  "  Yule "  is  derived.  Perhaps  the  Danes 
brought  it  with  them  when  they  came  to  England, 
for  they  speak  the  same  language  as  the  Norwe- 
gians. 

Now,  many  children  in  England  and  America  are 
fond  of  having  Christmas  parties.  Would  it  not  be 
nice  if,  at  your  next  gathering,  you  could  have  this 
beautiful  custom  for  a  new  game  1  You  have  Christ- 
mas trees,  and  those  you  have  copied  from  the  Ger- 
man children  ;  could  you  not  also  take  a  lesson  from 
the  peasants  in  Norway  ?  Many  of  you  have  the 
opportunity  of  gleaning  a  nice  handful  of  corn  from 
the  harvest  field  ;  and  besides  this,  crumbs  of  bread, 
biscuit,  cheese,  bread  and  milk,  would  be  gladly  ac- 
cepted by  these  little  denizens  of  the  woods  and 
lanes,  who,  in  the  bitter  weather,  approach  the 
dwellings  of  man  and  ask  his  sympathy.  There  is 
your  own  pet  robin,  that  will  repay  your  kindness 
with  his  plaintive  song,  the  next  time  the  sun  shines  ; 
the  tiny  wren,  which  hops  about  the  cart-shed  ;  and 
the  blackbird  that,  for  present  kindness,  will  gladden 
you  with  his  "  mellow  vesper-hymn  "  next  April,  as 
you  walk  by  the  wood-side.  All  these  will  teach 
you  the  true  pleasure  of  doing  good,  and  will  be  a 
great  deal  better  than  many  games  which  only  please 
yourselves. 


OF     BIRDS 


41 


^2  merry'sbook 


THE   BIRD   HUNTER. 


GIBSON'S  explorations  in  the  valley  of  the  Ama- 
zon presents  to  the  reader  many  interesting 
features.  We  clip  the  following  in  relation  to  bird- 
hunters  : 

There  are  a  few  individuals  among  the  Creoles  of 
Santa  Cruz  who  understand  the  art  of  collecting  and 
preserving  the  skins  of  birds  with  arsenical  soap. 
They  make  their  living  by  stuffing  birds  with  cotton, 
to  be  boxed  up  and  exported.  The  bird  collector 
differs  from  the  bark  gatherer  ;  he  is  found  on  the 
plains  as  well  as  in  the  woods  ;  his  ammunition  is 
good  powder,  in  small  tin  canisters,  different  sized 
shot,  and  a  small  quantity  of  quicksilver.  The  shot 
are  for  ordinary  birds.  He  puts  a  few  drops  of 
quicksilver  in  a  small  piece  of  paper,  and  loads  his 
gun  with  it  instead  of  shot.  The  quicksilver  knocks 
the  humming-bird  over,  without  tearing  the  skin,  or 
disfiguring  the  plumage ;  it  stuns,  and  before  the 
bird  recovers,  the  sportsman  has  had  him  in  hand. 
After  the  hunter  has  collected  some  five  hundred 
kinds,  he  then  becomes  difficult  to  please,  he  wants 
the  beautiful  little  songster  who  sits  at  tlie  base  of 
the  Andes,  and  sends  forth  his  music  before  the 
rising  sun.  There  are  many  birds  who  feed  by 
night,  and  sleep  in  daylight ;  some  steal  the  eggs  of 
their  neighbors;  others  drive  away  the  parents, 
feed  and  rear  their  young,  or  sit  upon  the  eggs  and 
hatch  them  for  tlie  rightful  owner.     All  these  birds 


0  F     B  I  R  D  S  .  43 

we  see  around  iis  have  their  regular  hours  for  feed- 
ing, singing,  bathing,  resting,  and  sleeping. 

We  met  a  bird-hunter  in  Trinidad  ;  he  had  been 
at  work  two  years  collecting  near  six  hundred  dif- 
ferent kinds.  He  was  of  opinion  there  are  over  a 
thousand  varieties  of  night  and  day  birds  to  be 
found  in  the  Madeira  Plate,  besides  snakes,  lizards, 
and  any  quantity  of  insects.  Trinidad  was  his 
head-quarters  from  which  he  branched  off  in  all 
directions  during  the  dry  season.  His  room  was  a 
perfect  curiosity  shop.  The  birds  were  rolled  up  in 
paper  after  they  had  been  properly  cured,  and 
stowed  away  in  large  wooden  boxes.  Every  day, 
at  different  hours,  he  went  to  the  field  :  after  days 
of  labor,  he  would  be  seen  returning  with  a  single 
bird,  differing  from  any  in  his  room.  He  procures 
poisonous  snakes  by  splitting  the  end  of  a  stick  to 
form  a  fork,  which  he  places  over  the  neck  of  the 
snake,  and  holds  him  until  a  gourd  or  bottle  is 
fixed  over  his  head,  when  he  loosens  his  fork  and 
the  snake  crawls  into  the  cavity.  He  then  corks 
the  gourd  and  puts  it  into  his  pocket.  After  the 
snake  starves  to  death,  or  is  drowned  in  spirits,  his 
skin  is  taken  off,  preserved,  and  stuffed,  ready  for 
transporting  to  the  museums  of  the  civilized  world. 


44 


merry's  book 


THE  HERON. 

WHO  of  you  would  imagine  that  there  is  any 
connection  between  the  bird  whose  picture  is 
given  above,  and  the  quaint  old  adage — 

"  He  does  not  know  a  hawk  from  a  handsaw." 
And  yet  there  is  a  connection  between  them,  and 
that  so  intimate,  that  the  handsaw  of  the  proverb  is 
nothing  else  than  the  heron  itself.     To  explain  this 


0  F     B  I  R  D  S  .  45 

paradox,  it  is  necessary  only  to  recall  to  mind  an 
old  name  of  the  heron,  which  was  heronshaw  or  hern- 
s'law.  The  proverb,  "  He  does  not  know  a  hawk 
from  a  hernshaw,"  w^as  expressive  of  stupidity — since 
these  two  birds  were  totally  unlike,  and  could  scarce- 
ly be  confounded  by  any  one  possessed  of  common 
sense.  The  corruption  of  hernshaw  into  handsaw, 
has  greatly  marred  the  significance  of  the  saying, 
^vhich,  however,  is  still  in  common  use. 

In  ancient  times  the  heronshaw  was  famous  in  the 
popular  art  of  falconry.  It  was  so  much  esteemed, 
both  as  an  object  of  that  aristocratic  sport,  and  also 
as  an  article  of  food  upon  the  table^  of  the  great, 
that  a  fine  of  one  pound  was  imposed  upon  any  one 
who  destroyed  its  eggs.  In  the  times  of  Henry  the 
Eighth,  a  heron  was  worth  as  much  as  a  fine  pheas- 
ant. But  it  was  not  only  for  sport  or  for  food  that 
this  bird  was  esteemed. 

The  plumes  which  crown  its  head,  and  those  which 
droop  over  the  wings,  were  prized  as  ornaments  ; 
and  tlieir  use  was  confined  to  the  noble  of  the  land. 

The  common  heron  (cinerea  ardea)  is  found  exten- 
sively in  various  parts  of  the  world.  In  England, 
it  is  quite  common  to  find  heronries  like  the  rook- 
eries, in  the  lofty  trees  which  surround  the  fine  old 
mansions  of  the  country.  Sometimes  there  is  a  feud 
between  the  herons  and  the  rooks  on  account  of  the 
trees,  and  fierce  battles  have  been  known  to  take 
place  between  them.  Generally,  however,  they 
peaceably  divide  the  trees,  and  each  parly  keeps  to 


46  merry'sbook 

itself.  The  heron's  nest  is  a  rude  structure  of  dry 
sticks,  deposited  in  a  crotch  of  the  tree  ;  but  it  is 
carefully  lined  with  wool,  upon  which  are  laid  five 
blueish-green  eggs.  The  uncouth  appearance  of  the 
young  herons  may  be  conceived  from  the  exceeding 
ugliness  of  the  bird  in  full  feather. 

The  heron  is  made  by  some  naturalists  a  symbol 
of  solitude,  because  it  is  accustomed  to  watch  alone 
for  its  prey.  It  will  stand  perfectly  motionless  in  a 
shallow  pond  or  stream,  and  in  the  grey  twilight  of 
morning,  may  easily  be  mistaken  for  a  stump.  If 
closely  watched,  however,  it  will  be  seen  suddenly 
to  dart  its  strong  sharp  beak  into  the  water,  and 
almost  unerringly  strike  and  capture  a  fish  for  its 
breakfast,  which  it  soars  away  to  enjoy  in  its  lofty 
nest. 

The  day  of  the  heron  seems  to  have  gone  by — not 
that  the  bird  is  becoming  extinct  or  very  scarce — but 
hawking  is  no  longer  a  fashionable  sport  ;  the  flesh 
of  the  heron  is  no  longer  sought  for  by  the  gour- 
mand, and  the  heron-plumes  cannot  now  vie  with 
ostrich  feathers,  or  with  cunning  and  delicate  arti- 
ficial fabrics,  as  ornaments  for  the  head  of  beauty 
and  pride. 


OF      BIRDS 


47 


FANNIE   AND  HER  DEAD    CHICKENS. 

LITTLE  Fannie  had  a  brood  of  chickens  that  she 
attended  with  great  care.  At  night  she  was 
particular  to  see  tliat  they 'were  safely  housed  from 
all  harm. 

One   evening   she  was  busily  engaged   Avith   an 


48  merry'sbook 

interesting  story,  and  when  her  mother  asked  her  if 
it  was  not  time  to  put  up  her  chickens,  slio  said, 

"  Oh,  do  wait  a  little  longer,  mother,  I'm  reading 
such  a  beautiful  book.     Wait  just  a  minute." 

This  she  repeated  again  and  again,  when  her 
mother  reminded  her  that  it  was  getting  late.  At 
length  she  finished  her  story,  and  retired,  forgetting 
her  chickens.  In  the  morning  she  arose,  and  on 
looking  out  of  her  window,  she  saw  beneath  her 
window,  on  large  sticks,  two  dead  chickens.  She 
had  given  them  the  curious  names  of  Misses  Indott 
and  Individual.  And  there  was  a  placard,  in  large 
letters — 

"  Misses  Indott  and  Individual  departed  this  life 
early  this  morning.  For  the  cause  of  their  death, 
refer  to  Punctual  Fannie." 

This  little  girl,  as  you  see  from  her  appearance, 
is  paying  dear  for  her  "  Wait  just  a  minute."  And 
how  many  children  bring  upon  themselves  sorrow 
and  trouble  by  this  same  habit  of  "  waiting  just  a 
minute,"  instead  of  doing  profnptly  what  they  are 
bidden.  The  untimely  death  of  these  poor  chickens 
will  teach  a  lesson  to  Fannie  which  she  will  not  soon 
forget.  And  will  not  our  young  readers  learn  it, 
before  they  are  taught  it  by  their  own  sad  experi- 
ence. 


OF     BIRDS.  49 


THE   UMBRELLA  BIRD. 

riTillS  singular  bird  is  about  tlic  size  of  a  raven, 
X  and  is  of  a  similar  color,  but  its  feathers  have  a 
more  scaly  appearance,  from  being  margined  with  a 
different  shade  of  glossy  blue.  It  is  also  allied  to 
ihe  crow  in  its  structure,  being  very  similar  to  it  in 
its  feet  and  bill.  On  its  head  it  bears  a  crest,  differ- 
ent from  that  of  any  other  bird.  It  is  formed  of 
feathers  more  than  two  inches  long,  very  thickly  set, 
and  with  hairy  plumes  curving  over  the  end.  These 
can  be  laid  back  so  as  to  be  hardly  visible,  or  can  be 
erected  and  spread  out  on  every  side,  forming  a  hem- 
ispherical, or  rather  a  hemiellipsoidal  dome  com- 
pletely covering  the  head,  and  even  reaching  beyond 
the  point  of  the  beak  ;  the  individual  feathers  then 
stand  out  something  like  the  down-bearing  seeds  of 
the  dandelion.  Besides  this,  there  is  another  orna- 
mental appendage  on  the  breast,  formed  by  a  fleshy 
tubercle  as  thick  as  a  quill,  and  an  inch  and  a  half 
long,  which  hangs  down  from  the  neck,  and  is  thick- 
ly covered  with  glossy  feathers,  forming  a  long  pen- 
dant plume  or  tassel.  This  also  the  bird  can  cither 
press  to  its  breast  so  as  to  be  scarcely  visible,  or  can 
swell  out  so  as  almost  to  conceal  the  fore  part  of  its 
body.  In  the  female  the  crest  and  the  neck-plume 
are  less  developed,  and  she  is  altogether  a  smaller 
and  much  less  handsome  bird.  It  inhabits  tlic  wood- 
ed islands  of  the  Rio  Negro  and  the  Solinoca,  never 


50 


merry's    book* 


appearing  on  the  main  land.  It  feeds  on  fruits  and 
utters  a  loud,  hoarse  cry,  like  some  deep  musical 
instrument,  whence  its  Indian  name,  Uramimbe, 
"  trumpet-bird."  The  whole  of  the  neck,  where  the 
plume  of  feathers  springs  from,  is  covered  internally 
with  a  thick  coat  of  hard,  muscular  fat  very  difficult 
to  be  cleaned  away — which  in  preparing  the  skins, 
must  be  done,  as  it  would  putrefy,  and  cause  the 
feathers  to  drop  off. 


OF     BIRDS. 


61 


THE  NEST  BUILDERS. 


Oh  I  beautiful,  beautiful  things ! 

How  they  range  at  will  through  the  sky  ! 
Dear  Mary,  if  I  oould  have  wings, 

Oh  I  would'ut  I,  would'nt  I  fly  ? 


52  M  E  11  U  Y  '  S     BOOK 

1  would  lloat  far;.iwuy  on  the  cloud, 
All  veiled  in  the  silver  mist ; 

And  perhaps  I  should  feel  so  proud, 
I  should'nt  come  back  to  be  kissed. 

But  see,  sis,  the  sweet  little  creatures 
Have  each  a  straw  in  his  beak  ; 

A  lesson  of  duty  to  teach  us, 
As  plainly  as  birds  can  sj^cak. 

We  think  they  arc  only  playing. 
As  they  roam  to  and  fro  in  the  sky  ; 

But  these  busy  fellows  are  saying, 
"  'Tis  not  all  for  pleasure  wo  fly. 

"  We're  building  a  snug  little  nest, 
III  the  crotch  of  the  old  elm-tree  ; 
Wc  mean  it  for  one  of  the  best. 
And  busy  enough  are  we. 

"  We  would  not  live  only  for  play, — 
And  when  for  a  song  we  take  leisure, 
We  would  show,  in  our  caroling  way, 
How  duty  is  wedded  to  pleasure." 


OF     D I RD  S 


63 


A  SHORT   CHAPTER   ON   BIRDS. 


\\\;i'///i^ 


UITE  probably  you  are 
all  interested  in  birds. 
The  Bible  tells  us  tliat  not 
even  a  little  sparrow  falls 
to  tlie  ground  without  our 
heavenly  Father's  notice. 
Do  you  suppose  the  cruel 
sportsmen  think  of  this  ? 
How  beautiful  and  va- 
ried their  plumage  I  What 
thrilling  melody  pours 
from  their  little  throats,  ascending  like  incense  to 
tlieir  Creator  I  Now,  instead  of  awakening  us  with 
their  sweet  notes,  we  see  them  winging  their  way 
soutliward.  Often  in  the  early  dawn  several  small 
flocks  pass.  We  call  this  wise  preparation  for  tlie 
winter,  instinct.  It  is  God  wlio  maketh  the  stork  to 
know  times  and  seasons.  Just  this  moment,  a  flock 
of  twenty  birds  or  so  have  alighted  upon  a  clierry 
tree  opposite  my  window.  What  a  chattering  !  no 
soothing  melodies  as  in  spring,  no  snatches  of  song. 
Tliey  only  utter  short,  twittering  notes ;  often  many 
endeavor  to  be  heard  at  the  same  time.  Now  one 
flies  to  the  topmost  bough,  then  back  again,  uttering 
a  sharp  chirp  ;  then  all  scold,  then  part  consult  in  a 
moderate  voice.  It  reminds  me  of  one  of  the  chats 
in  the  Museum,  for  they  arc  very  earnest,  and  I 
faucy  it  is  as  imj^ortant,  for  the  lards  are  discussing 


54 


MERRY'S     BOOK 


winter  ai-rangcments.  They  have  no  wardrobes  to 
prepare,  like  the  city  belles — who  return  to  their 
homes.  Now  they  are  off,  away  over  the  wide 
plains,  until  they  are  lost  to  sight.  They  will  re- 
turn to  their  birth-place  in  the  spring,  and  again 
enliven  us  with  their  glad  rejoicings.  I  suppose 
that  some  of  my  readers  do  not  know  that  the  robin 


THE    SONGSTER 


a  p    B I  R  D  s .  55 

at  tho  South,  during  the  winter,  mopes  away  his 
time,  seldom  uttering  more  than  a  weak  chirp.  No 
little  nest  is  made,  no  joyous  outbursts  of  song  as 
in  New  England.  If  you  should  chance  to  see  him 
in  the  everglades  of  Florida  or  the  wilds  of  Texas, 
you  would  hardly  recognize  red-breast.  Bobolink, 
too,  loses  his  mirthful  voice,  and  is  called  a  rail  in 
Virginia,  and  a  rice-bird  in  Carolina,  where  he  fat- 
tens in  the  rice-fields  in  the  last  of  autumn.  I  saw 
several  in  the  West  Indies.  The  natives  call  them 
brown  birds — I  never  heard  a  song  from  one  of 
them.  So  all  lands  have  their  peculiar  charms,  and 
the  presence  of  singing  birds  adds  greatly  to  our 
enjoyment  in  spring.  Their  migration  affords  us  a 
lesson.  We,  too,  are  passing  away,  to  tho  silent 
land  of  death  !  If  we  are  prepared  to  go,  we  shall 
arise  in  the  morning  of  the  resurrection  with  songs 
of  joy  and  everlasting  gladness,  praising  our  Savior 
who  died  to  redeem  us.  Dear  readers,  have  you 
accepted  of  Ilis  sacrifice  ?  If  not,  no  longer  grieve 
Him  by  delay.  Oh,  give  Ilim  your  hearts  now,  in 
the  spring-time  of  existence  I  You  may  never  see 
the  autumn  of  life.  Now  only  can  you  claim  the 
promise  :  "  They  that  seek  me  early,  shall  find  me." 


66  merry's     BOOK 


THE  HOOPOE. 

THIS  bird  seems  to  be  top-heavy.  At  any  rate, 
he  has  a  very  large  top-knot,  and  one  would 
think  it  would  be  hard  work,  with  such  a  head,  to 
fly  against  the  wind. 

The  hoopoe  is  found  in  almost  all  parts  of  the  old 
world,  in  Europe,  Asia,  and  Africa.  They  have 
been  seen  as  far  north  as  Sweden,  though  they  do 
not  like  cold  countries.  The  Italians  call  it  huhola, 
as  that  word  very  nearly  represents  its  peculiar  cry 
or  note.  It  is  a  very  shy  bird  at  certain  seasons, 
avoids  being  seen  as  much  as  possible,  and  hides 
itself  in  the  thick  wood.  But  it  is  not  timid  or 
modest  about  being  heard.  It  keeps  up  a  constant 
cry,  otf,  hu,  hu,  with  a  voice  so  clear  and  strange, 
that  it  can  be  heard  at  a  great  distance.  It  builds 
its  nest  and  rears  its  young  in  the  deep  woods  ;  and 
it  is  during  this  period,  that  it  seems  so  shy  of  being 
seen.  Indeed,  it  is  more  afraid  of  exposing  its 
young,  tlian  of  incurring  harm  to  itself.  When  the 
young  ones  are  fledged,  tlie  birds  may  be  seen  in  liino 
weather,  in  the  fields  and  orchards  in  quest  of  food. 
Its  nest  is  built  in  the  hollow  of  an  old  tree,  or  in 
the  deserted  hole  of  a  woodpecker.  It  is  constructed 
chiefly  of  hair  and  feathers,  and  is  very  soft  and 
nice. 


OF     BIRDS. 


57 


THE     HOOPOE 


merry' 8     BOOK 


THE   WITIP-POOR-WILL. 

THERE  was  once  a  boy,  whoso  name  I  have  for- 
gotten ;  but,  for  the  sake  of  having  a  name,  we 
will  call  him  Thomas.  His  father  was  a  rich  man, 
who  had  Gained  a  great  deal  of  money  in  New  York, 
and  so  he  bought  a  nice  country  residence  in  the 
northern  part  of  New  Jersey  ;  and  one  summer  day 
lie  removed  thither  with  his  wife  and  family. 

Thomas,  unfortunately,  had  acquired  some  bad 
habits  in  the  city  of  New  York.  He  did  not  like  to 
study  his  lessons  ;  and  very  often,  when  sent  to 
school,  he  would  roam  about  the  streets,  or  go  over 
to  Hoboken  ;  and  having  spent  the  day  in  this  man- 
ner, he  would  go  home  and  pretend  he  had  been  to 
school.  He  also  made  use  of  bad  words,  and  told 
fibs,  and  disobeyed  his  parents. 

It  is  quite  surprising  to  see  how  one  fault  helps 
along  otliers.  A  boy  who  is  disobedient  in  one 
thing,  will  soon-  become  so  in  many  things  :  from 
disobedience  he  will  pass  to  falsehood,  from  false- 
hood to  unkiudness,  from  unkindness  to  cruelty,  and 
from  all  these  to  theft,  and  at  last,  perhaps,  to  rob- 
bery and  murder.  The  path  of  evil  is  a  down-hill 
path,  and  the  further  one  goes  in  it,  the  nearer  he  is 
to  the  bottom,  which  is  destruction. 

Now  Thomas,  poor  fellow,  had  gone  a  good  way 
down  the  hill,  and  he  found  it  so  easy  to  go,  that  he 
did  not  care  lo  stop.     His  parents  were  quite  aware 


0  F     B  I  R  D  S  .  59 

of  his  crrorp,  and  tliis  was  one  reason  why  they 
bought  a  country  house.  They  hoped,  by  taking 
their  son  from  his  evil  companions  and  the  many 
temptations  in  the  great  city,  to  euro  him  of  his 
faults. 

Thomas  was  delighted  with  the  idea  of  going  into 
the  country  to  spend  the  summer.  A  thousand 
pleasant  things  rushed  into  his  mind,  as  he  thought 
of  the  hills  and  the  villages,  and  the  birds,  and 
the  squirrels,  and  fishes.  He  could  scarce  wait  for 
the  day  of  departure  ;  and  when  at  last  it  did  come, 
he  bounded  about  as  if  his  feet  had  springs  in  them. 
The  journey  occupied  a  whole  day,  and  at  night 
most  of  the  family,  being  weary,  retired  early  to 
rest. 

Thomas  was  very  unwilling  to  go  to  bed.  It  was 
a  Tvarm,  moonlight  night,  and  he  desired  to  ramble 
about.  His  father  and  mother  indulged  him  for  a 
time,  but  when  it  came  to  be  nine  o'clock,  they  in- 
sisted on  his  going  to  his  room.  He  pouted  and 
fretted,  but  at  last,  with  a  very  bad  grace,  he  sub- 
mitted. 

Thomas'  room  was  on  the  second  floor,  and  the 
two  windows  looked  out  into  the  garden,  which  was 
very  large  and  beautiful.  The  boy  stood  gazing 
from  one  of  these  windows  for  some  time,  when  sud- 
denly the  idea  came  into  his  head  that  he  might  get 
out  of  the  window,  and  by  clinging  to  the  branches 
of  tlie  trees,  descend  to  the  ground.  He  would  then 
be  free  to  walk  about  as  long  as  he  pleased . 


60  M  E  E  E  Y  '  S     B  0  0  K 

This  was  no  sooner  thought  than  done,  and  in  a 
few  seconds  Thomas  found  himself  at  liberty  in  the 
garden.  Here  he  walked  about  for  some  time,  and 
then  passing  out  of  the  gate,  he  went  into  the  lane 
tliat  passed  by  the  house.  He  continued  to  walk 
along  for  some  time  ;  and  though  the  place  was 
rather  lonesome,  there  being  no  house  near,  the 
youth  found  great  pleasure  in  the  novelty  of  tlie 
scene.  He  continued  to  walk  on  for  an  hour,  and 
then  he  turned  back,  intending  to  go  home.  He, 
however,  took  a  wrong  path,  and  this  soon  led  him 
into  the  wood.  He  became  aware  that  he  had  lost 
his  way,  yet  ho  only  walked  on  the  faster.  His 
heart  began  to  beat,  and  a  kind  of  cold,  creeping 
sensation  came  over  his  skin.  There  was  a  bristling 
sort  of  feeling  in  his  head,  and  his  cap  rose  up  at 
least  an  inch. 

Thomas  would  have  been  very  glad  to  be  at  homo, 
and  his  anxiety  did  not  diminish  when  he  found  that 
the  scene  around  became  more  dark  and  wild,  while 
at  the  same  time  his  knocs  knocked  againnt  cacli 
other,  and  his  under  jaw  made  a  strange  clattering 
against  the  upper  one.  But  what  could  he  do  1  Ho 
paused  a  moment  to  consider :  at  the  same  time  a 
kind  of  faintncss  came  over  him,  and  he  was  obliged 
to  sit  down. 

In  a  few  moments  this  feeling  passed  away,  but 
the  youth  was  by  no  means  at  ease.  Ho  was  con- 
scious of  having  gone  out  t^y  stealth  ;  and,  as  usual 
in  such  cases,  the  sense  of  tin's  one  fault  brouglit  on 


OF     B  r  RT)S,  Gl 

him  the  recollection  of  others.  '*  After  fill,"  said 
conscience  to  him,  *'  you  are  a  very  bad  boy,  Thomas  ; 
yon  arc  disobedient ;  you  deceive  your  parents  ;  you 
care  not  for  them  or  their  commands  ;  you  love  only 
yourself.  You  are  in  a  very  bad  way — what  will 
become  of  you  1" 

Scarcely  had  this  train  of  thought  crossed  his 
bosom,  when  a  soft,  distant  voice  was  heard  in  the 
woods,  crying  :  "  Whip  eim  well  1  —  Whip  him 
WELL  I     Whip  htm  well  I" 

Thomas'  blood  grew  cold,  and  his  hair  bristled, 
und  his  teeth  chattered.  All  was  silent  for  a  few 
moments.  He  sat  listening  intently,  yet  fearing-  to 
hear  the  dreadful  cry  repeated.  It  soon  began  ;  and 
now  it  was  nearer,  and  louder,  and  clearer  : — 

"  Whip  him  well  /     Whip  him  well !     Whip  him 

miir 

Again  all  was  silent.  It  is  impossible  to  express 
the  emotions  of  remorse,  tenor  and  amazement 
which  filled  the  bosom  of  our  hero  at  this  moment. 
It  was  near  midnight ;  he  was  lost ;  he  was  also  in 
an  unknown  wilderness  ;  the  moon  had  gone  down  ; 
the  darkness  and  gloom  gave  to  the  trees  around 
the  grisly  aspects  of  giants  and  monsters  ;  all  was 
still  as  in  the  valley  of  the  shadow  of  death,  save 
only  that  wild,  elvish  cry,  "  Whip  him  well !  Whip 
him  well  I" 

As  it  burst  out  a  third  time,  it  seemed  close  at  his 
side,  and  rang  louder  than  ever  in  his  car.  He 
could  bear  it  no  longer.    Uttering  a  yell  of  horror. 


62 

he  sprang  to  his  feet  and  fled.  For  some  time  he 
flew  along  the  path  that  wound  tlirongh  the  woods, 
almost  as  if  he  had  wings.  Being  at  last  very 
weary,  he  began  to  slacken  his  pace,  when  he  heard 
the  terrible  admonition — 

"  Whip  him  well ! — Whip  him  well  I"  bursting  from 
twenty  voices  out  of  the  trees  around.  Fear  lent 
him  wings  ;  and  on  he  went,  not  thinking  or  know- 
ing whither.  Yet,  strange  to  say,  the  terrible  voices 
pursued  him.  At  last,  he  came  to  the  edge  of  the 
woods,  and  suddenly  he  was  among  open  grounds 
and  cultivated  fields.  The  dawn  of  the  morning 
had  begun,  and  looking  round,  the  boy  saw  a  farm 
at  a  distance  ;  as  he  drew  near,  he  discovered  it  to 
be  his  home. 

Never  was  joy  greater  than  his.  He  went  into 
the  garden,  climbed  the  trees,  and  entered  his  cham- 
ber. But  it  was  a  long  time  before  he  left  it.  The 
next  morning,  his  parents  found  him  suffering  from 
fever.  They  discovered  that  his  feet,  and  face,  and 
hands,  were  scratched  in  a  strange  manner  ;  and  at 
last  he  told  his  mother  of  his  terrible  adventures. 
After  hearing  his  story,  she  spoke  to  him  as  follows  : 

"  My  dear  Thomas,  let  this  incident  be  made  use- 
ful to  you.  What  you  have  seen  and  heard  is  easily 
explained.  The  awful  cry  in  the  woods  was  only 
the  song  of  the  Whip-poor-will.  It  is  an  innocent 
bird,  hiding  itself  by  day  ;  but  at  night  it  fills  tlie 
woods  with  its  shrill,  wild  notes.  It  was  your  dis- 
turbed conscience,  Thomas,  that  made  it  terrible  ; 


OP     BIRDS.  63 

and  so  it  is  always.  A  mind  at  ease,  a  heart  assured 
of  Heaven's  favor,  is  tranquil  and  happy,  while  the 
bosom  of  the  wicked  is  the  seat  of  terror  and  dis* 
may.  The  slightest  trouble,  the  commonest  dangers, 
to  bad  men,  are  rendered  heavy  calamities  by  their 
bad  consciences.  Their  bosoms  are  full  of  fear  and 
dread.  At  night,  they  start  and  shiver  in  the  dark  ; 
every  sound  disturbs  them  :  to  their  uneasy  mind, 
a  bush  is  a  ghost,  and  a  rock  a  monster.  The  trees 
seem  like  giants,  and  their  spreading  branches  like 
hooked  claws  or  fingers.  The  dreams  of  the  wicked 
arc  full  of  dreadful  scenes,  horrid  noises,  and  terri- 
ble adventures. 

"  Such,  my  dear  Thomas,  are  the  effects  of  mis- 
conduct, which  begets  a  bad  conscience.  It  is  the 
dispensation  of  Providence  that  sin  leaves  its  im- 
pressions on  the  soul,  and  the  soul  must  suffer  for  it. 
There  is  no  escape  but  by  genuine  repentance,  and 
the  washing  out  of  the  stain  by  God's  forgiveness." 

Many  other  things  of  this  kind  did  the  good 
mother  say  to  her  son,  and  when,  after  a  few  weeks, 
he  rose  from  his  bed,  he  was  a  better  and  a  happier 
child.  But,  during  his  whole  life,  he  could  not  bear 
the  lone,  wild,  hurried  cadences  of  the  Whip-poor- 
will,  without  a  cold,  creeping  sensation  over  his 
skin — a  sort  of  upraising  of  his  hair. 


64  MERRY^SBOOK 


NEST     OF    THE     TITMOUSE. 

BIRDS  arc  very  skilful  architects,  bo  far  as  con- 
structing their  own  houses  are  concerned,  yet 
tliclr  skill  is  merely  instinctive,  no  progression  or 
improYcment  ever  being  made.  The  first  essay  of  tlie 
young  bird  is  as  perfect  as  the  nest  of  a  veteran 
Hongstcr. '  There  is  a  great  difference  in  the  abilities 
of  birds  each  building  according  to  its  circumstances 
and  wants,  from  a  simple  indentation  in  the  naked 
sand  up  to  tlie  swinging  castle  in  the  air  constructed 
of  down  and  hair. 

Among  the  nests  of  remarkable  construction  may 
be  rcckone|l  that  of  the  Long  Tailed  Titmouse,  illus- 
trated above.  This  bird,  which  is  not  bigger  than 
a  wren,  and  is  almost  incessantly  in  motion,  takes 
iuuumerable  means  of  precaution  for  the  comfort, 
safety  and  concealment  of  its  dwelling.  It  is  made 
like  a  hollow  ball,  with  a  small  opening  on  one  side, 
as  may  be  seen  in  the  engraving.  This  orifice  serves 
tlie  double  purpose  of  door  and  window,  and  is  so 
well  barricaded  that  neither  cold  nor  rain  can  pen- 
etrate into  the  interior.  This  is  effected  by  an  ad- 
mirably contrived  screen,  before  the  entrance  to  the 
little  citadel,  of  downy  feathers,  which  is  very  pliant, 
to  admit  of  ingress  and  egress,  and  yet  exclude  the 
weather.  Yet  this  is  not  all.  From  its  very  dimin- 
utive size,  this  bird  is  afraid  of  numerous  enemies, 
and,  tliereforc,  lias  recourse  to  wise  artifice  to  cnn- 


OF     BIRDS. 


xN  K  ST    0  y    T  II  C     TIT  M  O  U  'A 


66 


MERRY'S     BOOK 


ceal  its  asylum.  It  fastens  its  nest  to  the  trunk  of 
a  tree,  and  covers  it  carefully  and  skilfully  with  the 
twigs  and  leaves  of  the  parasitical  plants  that  cluster 
around  the  stem  to  which  it  adheres,  and  contrives 
to  give  to  the  inimitable  structure  the  appearance 
of  being  a  part  of  the  bark.  Having  exhausted  its 
skill  in  the  deception,  intended  only  to  deceive 
enemies,  the  little  creature  enters  its  mansion,  and 
rears  its  young  under  the  protection  of  the  pious 
fraud. 


OF     BIRDS 


6t 


THE  SWALLOW-TAILED   KITE 


IS  an  inhabitant  of  North  America.  It  feeds  on 
the  wing,  like  the  swallow,  pursuing  the  large 
motlis  and  otlier  insects,  with  ease  and  rapidity. 
Tliese  insects  are  not  their  only  food,  Audubon  says 
they  cat  large  grasslioppers,  caterpillars,  small 
snakes,  lizards,  and  frogs.  They  fly  close  over  the 
fields,  secure  a  snake,  and  holding  it  fast  by  the  neck, 
carry  it  oiT,  and  devour  it  in  tlie  air.  Its  nest  is 
upon  the  top  of  an  old  pine,  or  oak — eggs  from  four 
to  six  ;  of  a  greenisli  white,  and  spotted  witli  brown 
at  the  large  end.     Length  of  tlie  bird  is  two  feet. 


68 


M  E  R  R  Y    8     BOOK 


THE  TOUCAN. 

THIS  bird  is  one  of  the  most  extraordinary  in  tlic 
world.  It  is  remarkable  for  a  monstrous  bill, 
wliich  is  from  six  to  seven  inches  in  length,  and  in 
som.e  places  two  in  breadth,  the  whole  being  extreme- 


0  P     B  I  R  D  S  .  69 

ly  slight,  and  a  little  thicker  than  parchment.  The 
plumage  of  this  bird  is  dark,  spotted  with  blue, 
purple,  yellow  and  other  colors  that  produce  a  very 
beautiful  effect.  The  legs,  feet,  and  claws  are  of  an 
ash  color  ;  and  the  toes  stand  like  those  of  parrots, 
two  before,  and  two  behind.  The  tongue  is  feath- 
ered at  the  edges,  and,  as  well  as  the  inside  of  the 
mouth,  is  of  a  deep  red. 

The  toucan  is  easily  tamed,  and  will  become  very 
familiar,  eating  almost  any  thing  offered  to  it.  In 
general,  it  feeds  upon  fruits.  In  its  wild  state  it  is 
a  noisy  bird,  perpetually  moving  from  place  to  place 
in  search  of  food.  It  is  particularly  fond  of  grapes. 
If  these  were  plucked  from  the  stalk  one  by  one, 
and  thrown  to  it,  the  toucan  will  catch  them  with 
great  dexterity  before  they  fall  to  the  ground. 

When  in  flocks,  these  birds  generally  appoint  one 
of  their  number  to  watch  through  the  night.  While 
tliey  are  asleep,  he  sits  perched  at  the  top  of  a  tree 
above  them,  making  a  continual  noise,  resembling 
ill-articulated  sounds,  and  moving  his  head  during 
the  whole  time  to  the  right  and  left.  From  this 
circumstance,  the  South  Americans  have  given  this 
bird  the  name  of  the  preacher. 


70 


MERRY'S     BOOK 


l^^^^  J\ 


^ 


SEVEN  BIRDS'  NESTS. 

AS  I  was  traveling  in  the  country,  the  other  day, 
I  counted,  on  some  bushes  in  the  highway, 
almost  within  a  stone's  throw  of  a  dwelling  house  in 
which  was  a  large  family  of  little  children,  no  less 
than  seven  birds'  nests. 

Now  you  cannot  find  seven  birds'  nests  in  the 
highway,  near  our  cities  and  large  towns,  in  walk 


OF     BIRDS.  71 

ing  a  mile.  Indeed  you  will  rarely  find  one.  But 
why^not,  as  well  as  in  tlie  country?    I  will  tell  you. 

In  cities  and  towns  there  are  a  great  many  idle, 
lazy,  men  and  boys,  who  have  nothing  better  to  do 
— that  is,  they  will  do  nothing  better — than  to  take 
their  fowling  pieces,  and  go  and  shoot  birds.  Some 
they  kill ;  some  they  wound  ;  others  they  frighten. 
This  is  one  reason  why  birds  and  birds'  nests  arc 
not  more  numerous  in  such  places. 

Another  thing  is  that  the  city  and  town  boys  are 
very  apt  to  rob  the  nests,  either  of  their  eggs  or 
their  young.  Birds  do  not  like,  better  than  men,  to 
see  their  houses  pillaged  and  destroyed,  and  their 
little  ones  cruelly  treated  and  enslaved  ;  so  they  flee 
to  other  places  or  countries.  And  I  would,  if  I 
were  they. 

Where  there  has  been,  for  fifty  or  a  hundred 
years,  no  cruel  hunting,  trapping,  ensnaring,  or  rob- 
bing of  birds,  it  is  surprising  to  see  how  tame  many 
sorts  of  them  are.  They  will  come  and  sit  on  the 
lilac,  or  rose,  or  quince  bushes,  close  by  the  win- 
dow ;  and  if  they  do  not  actually  build  nests  and 
rear  young  there — for  the  ugly  cat  will  somctimca 
prevent  this — they  will  sing  to  Eobort  and  John, 
and  to  the  rest  of  the  inmates  of  the  family,  many  a 
sweet  morning  song. 


72 


M  ]■:  a  U  Y  '  S     BOOK 


THE   PExlCOCKS. 


HERE  was  a  gentleman  whc 
had  two  peacocks  which  were 
kept  in  a  fine  lawn  in  his  gar- 
den ;  and  he  made  a  present 
of  them  to  his  daughter,  Misa 
Charlotte  Fletcher,  who  was 
very  fond  of  them,  and  fed 
them  herself  every  day.  One 
of  these  peacocks  was  very 
beautiful ;  he  had  a  fine  long 
tail,  which  trailed  after  him 
as  he  woJked,  and  which  he 
frequently  spread  out  for  the 
admiration  of  those  who  stop- 
ped to  look  at  him.  But  this 
peacock  was  not  so  good  as  he  was  handsome  ;  for 
he  was  proud,  greedy,  and  ill-natured  ;  ancj  because 
the  other  peacock,  which  was  a  white  one,  had  not  so 
fine  a  plumage  as  himself,  he  despised  him,  and  very 
often  was  so  cross,  that  he  would  scarcely  let  the 
poor  bird  have  any  thing  to  cat,  but  pecked  him, 
and  drove  him  about  in  a  cruel  manner  ;  and  if  at 
any  time  the  white  peacock  spread  out  his  tail,  the 
other  would,  set  up  such  a  frightful  scream,  as  made 
liiiu  close  it  up  directly,  and  ruu  away  into  some 
corner  to  hide  liimsclf. 

When  tJjcsc  birds  were  <.dven  to   Mi:,-   Fletcher. 


O  P     B  I  R  D  S  .  73 

she  admired  that  with  the  fine  plumage,  and  said  he 
should  be  called  her  handscniie  favorite^  for  she  did 
not  know  of  his  faults  ;  neither  did  he  treat  the  other 
ill  in  her  sight  for  some  time  ;  but,  one  day,  when 
she  was  feeding  them  from  the  parlor  windoV7,  she 
liappcned  to  throw  some  barley  to  the  white  peacock 
first,  on  which  the  other  put  himself  in  a  violent 
passion,  and  set  up  one  of  his  horrid  screams,  which 
she  was  quite  shocked  to  hear  ;  nor  was  this  all,  for 
the  cross  creature  flew  upon  the  other  peacock,  and 
tore  him  about  till  he  pulled  off  a  great  many  feath- 
ers, and  made  his  head  bleed  sadly  ;  and  the  white 
peacock  could  not  defend  himself,  because  he  had 
the  misfortune  to  have  his  leg  broken  soon  after  he 
left  the  nest,  and  was,  in  consequence  of  the  accident, 
a  little  lame.  However,  he  contrived  to  get  away 
to  his  hiding  place,  while  the  other  greedy  creature 
was  picking  up  the  barley  ;  and,  when  his  meal  was 
ended,  the  ill-natured  peacock  strutted  about  as 
proud  and  conceited  as  could  be,  before  the  window, 
and  spread  out  his  fine  tail,  expecting  to  be  admired 
as  usual.  But  Miss  Fletcher  was  too  good  to  like 
the  bird  which  was  so  cross  to  his  companion  ;  on 
the  contrary,  she  was  quite  displeased  with  him,  and 
sent  the  gardener  to  take  him  off  the  lawn,  and 
carry  him  into  the  yard,  where  the  common  poultry 
was  kept,  and  where  he  would  be  sure  of  getting 
well  beat  and  pecked  himself  if  he  showed  any  airs  ; 
and  she  said,  ho  should  be  no  longer  her  handsome 
favorite,  but  she  would  take  care  of  the  white  pea- 


74 


MERRY'S     BOOK 


cock,  and  try  to  get  Iiini  a  better  companion  ;  so  she 
desired  Thomas  to  find  out  where  he  was  hidden, 
and  to  bring  him  to  her.  It  was  quite  grievous  to 
see  how  sadly  the  poor  creature  was  hurt ;  but  he 
was  very  patient,  and,  in  a  short  time,  by  being  well 


fed  and  kept  quiet,  he  recovered  and  was  sent  back 
to  the  lawn  again. 

In  the  mean  time  the  proud  peacock  was  greatly 
mortified  at  being  kept  in  a  common  farm-yard, 
where  nobody  troubled  themselves  about  him,  and 
where  the  cock  and  hens  made  him  keep  his  distance 


0  F     B  I  R  D  8  .  75 

while  they  were  feeding,  and  content  himself  with 
what  he  could  pick  up  when  they  had  done.  He 
now  wished  he  had  not  treated  his  former  companion 
so  ill ;  and  sometimes  he  would  get  up  upon  the  barn 
and  call  out,  in  hopes  that  the  other  peacock  would 
hear  him,  and  know  how  sorry  he  was,  and  that  he 
was  resolved  never  to  behave  so  ill  again  ;  whicli 
made  the  white  peacock  desirous  of  having  him 
back,  and  he  let  him  know  this  by  answering  to  him 
from  the  top  of  a  pear-tree  in  the  garden.  Miss 
Yletcher  hearing  the  two  birds  call  to  one  another 
in  this  manner,  and  observing  that  the  white  pea- 
cock seemed  very  dull,  thought  that  perhaps  they 
might  have  made  up  their  quarrel,  so  she  resolved  to 
see  how  they  would  behave  to  one  another  ;  and,  to 
her  very  great  delight,  when  the  servant,  by  her 
desire,  brought  the  cross  peacock  from  the  place  of 
punishment,  the  other  ran  to  meet  him  on  the  lawn, 
and  was  very  glad  to  see  him  ;  and  when  she  threw 
some  barley  to  them,  the  peacock  which  before  had 
been  so  greedy,  did  not  peck  a  grain  from  the  other  ; 
nor  did  he  ever  after  treat  him  ill  in  any  way,  but 
became  as  good  as  he  was  pretty.  Miss  Fletcher, 
however,  did  not  call  him  her  /mndsome  favorite,  but 
gave  the  preference  to  the  white  peacock,  because 
the  other  had  not  been  always  good  and  she  resolved 
for  the  future  to  value  things,  not  from  their  showy 
qualities,  but  from  their  real  and  intrinsic  worth. 
Beauty  and  fine  clothing  may  attract  notice,  but 
kindness  and  generosity  win  true  friends. 


76  merry'sbook 

THE   BLACKBIRD. 

THE  little  story  I  have  to  tell  you  is  about  a  black- 
bird. You  all  know  that  the  blackbird  sings  a 
very  fine  song  ;  and  how  delightful  it  is  to  hear  him. 
on  a  fine  summer  morning  or  evening,  pouring  forth 
his  rich  notes,  causing  the  woods  to  ring  with  the 
melody  of  his  lovely  voice.  The  blackbird  I  have 
to  tell  you  about  built  its  nest  in  a  large  bush  in  the 
corner  of  a  garden  belonging  to  a  working  man. 
This  good  man  paid  a  goodly  rent  for  his  garden. 
But  his  little  boys  and  girls,  as  they  grew  up,  assis- 
ted him  to  keep  and  dress  it.  The  apples  and  pears, 
and  all  the  nice  things  that  grew  in  the  garden, 
were  sold  to  buy  food  and  clothing  for  his  wife  and 
family. 

I  think  I  hear  you  saying,  that  is  all  very  good  ; 
but  what  about  the  blackbird  ; 

Well,  I  will  tell  you  presently.  The  blackbird 
built  its  nest  in  one  of  the  largest  bushes  in  tlie 
garden.  These  kind  people  did  not  pull  down  the 
nest,  nor  cruelly  destroy  the  young  ones,  but  rather 
protected  and  assisted  the  mother  to  rear  her  little 
family,  by  laying  down  food  in  sight  of  the  nest. 
This  little  act  of  kindness  so  gained  the  love  and 
confidence  of  the  blackbird,  that  she  grew  so  famil- 
iar with  them  that  she  would  allow  them  to  stand 
and  look  at  her  without  stirring  from  the  nest. 

As  they  increased  their  attention  and  kindness,  so 
did  her  confidence  increase  also  ;  for,  by  and  by,  she 
would  lift  up,  first  tlie  one  wing,  and  then  the  other 


O  P     B  IRD8.  77 

wing,  and  allow  her  kind  protectors  to  have  a  peep 
at  her  interesting  family  ;  while  the  father,  at  no 
great  distance,  sat  perched  upon  the  uppermost 
bough  of  a  tree,  singing  in  his  best  style,  pluming 
liirasclf  in  all  the  pride  of  a  delighted  parent,  to  see 
his  companion  and  offspring  so  much  taken  notice  of 
and  cared  for. 

Now,  my  dear  young  friends,  you  may  see,  from 
this  little  story,  how  miicli  pure  pleasure  may  be  got 
from  the  exercise  of  a  little  kindness.  These  kind 
people  did  not  only  enjoy  a  large  amount  of  real 
pleasure,  arising  out  of  an  act  of  kindness  to  these 
defenceless  creatures,  but  also  a  pretty  large  amount 
of  profit.  As  soon  as  the  story  of  the  blackbird  be- 
came known,  numbers  of  people  went  to  the  garden, 
to  see  this  natural  curiosity,  and  make  their  pur- 
chases. Some  would  buy  one  thing,  some  another. 
In  this  way  the  gardener,  with  his  family,  was  amply 
rewarded  for  their  attention  and  kindness  to  these 
lovely  songsters  oi  i^he  wood. 

My  dear  young  friends,  we  may  also  learn,  from 
this  little  story,  how  amply  our  heavenly  Father 
would  rcwai'd  us,  if  we  would  only  be  kind  to  each 
ollior,  and  to  the  inferior  ci-eatures  he  has  made. 

Before  taking  leave  of  my  youthful  readers^  T 
vv^ould  say,  Do  not  rob  a  poor  bird  of  lier  young.  It 
is  an  act  of  very  great  cruelty.  Do  not  torment  nor 
beat  any  dumb  creature  whatever.  Be  kind  to  them 
all,  and  you  will  be  surprised  and  deliiiiitod  with  the 
affection  and  gratitude  you  will  receive  in  return. 


78 


M  E  R  R  Y    kS     book 


mm 


THE   DODO. 

THIS  bird,  instead  of  being  designed  for  swiftness, 
looks  as  if  it  was-among  the  most  stupid  of  living 
tilings.  It  was  a  native  of  the  Isle  of  France,  and 
was  common  there  many  years  ago,  but  it  is  now 
extinct.  It  was  an  enormous  creature,  and  would 
have  made  a  meal  for  twenty  or  tliirty  men. 

The  dodo  was  originally  found  on  the  uninhabited 
islands  in  the  Indian  ocean,  and  in  great  numbers  ; 
but  from  various  accounts,  it  is  supposed  now  to 
have  entirely  disappeared. 

The  dodo,  or  as  it  is  sometimes  called,  the  solitary 
bird,  or  solitaire,  was  seen  in  large  numbers  on  the 


0  P     B  I  R  D  S  .  79 

islands  of  Bourbon  and  Mauritius,  by  tlio  Portugese 
navigators,  three  centuries  ago.  They  were  then 
described  as  very  tame,  and  not  afraid  of  men. 

.  Though  they  arc  clumsy  to  look  at,  they  are  des- 
cribed as  graceful  in  their  movements,  and  dignified 
in  their  bearing,  and  even  beautiful. 

They  would  allow  themselves  to  be  caught,  but 
were  incapable  of  being  tamed,  and  would  refuse  all 
nourishment.  Their  nest  was  made  of  a  heap  of 
palm  leaves,  raised  a  foot  and  a  half  from  the  ground, 
into  which  one  egg  was  deposited. 

When  the  dodo  finally  disappeared  from  the 
islands  is  not  known,  but  no  traces  of  it  have  been 
found  since  the  commencement  of  the  eighteenth 
century. 


80 


M  E  n  R  Y    S     15  o  o  i^: 


THE  EGYPTIAN  VULTURE. 

THIS  bird,  from  its  abundance  in  Egypt,  rs  called 
"  Pharoali's  chicken."  It  is  about  the  size  of  a 
raven.  The  chest  and  throat  are  naked  ;  the  gen- 
eral plumage  of  the  male  bird  is  white,  with  the 
quills  black.  This  species  ranges  pretty  extensively 
over  the  eastern  continent.  It  follows  the  caravans 
in  the  deserts  in  large  flocks,  in  order  to  feed  upon 
the  camels  and  other  animals  whicli  perish  i-n  these 


OP     B  IRDS.  81 

hazardous  marches,  which  arc  fatal  to  the  lives  of 
so  many  ;  not  only  from  the  heat  and  drought,  but 
from  tlic  piercing  cold  of  the  night,  whicli  often  fol- 
low^s  a  burning  hot  day. 

The  ancient  Egyptians  paid  divine  honors  to  these 
birds,  and  we  often  find  them  represented  in  their 
sculptures  and  paintings  ;  and  thougli  the  Mussub 
mans  of  the  present  day  do  not  actually  worship 
thorn,  they  treat  them  with  much  respect,  as  very 
important  birds,  in  a  country  where  cleanliness  is  so 
essential  but  so  much  neglected.  They  act  as  scav- 
engers, picking  up  and  devouring  all  sorts  of  animal 
and  vegetable  refuse.  When  pressed  by  hunger, 
they  will  gorge  the  most  offensive  substances. 

They  have  a  long,  slender  beak  ;  the  nostrils  are 
oval,  and  the  head  and  neck  bare  of  feathers,  thus 
enabling  them  to  burrow  in  the  putrid  carcass  upon 
which  they  prey,  without  the  risk  of  soiling  their 
plumage.  It  is  a  curious  fact  that  the  claws  of  the 
vultures  are  so  formed  that  they  cannot  clasp  their 
proy  with  suflicient  force  to  carry  it  away,  and  are 
therefore  obliged  to  eat  it  on  the  spot. 


82  M  E  R  R  Y  '  S     R  0  0  K 


THE   LOVES   OF  BIRDS. 

POETS  have  sung  the  loves  of  men  and  angels, 
but  they  have  never  been  known  to  sing  of  the 
loves  of  birds.  They  have  been  very  neglectful  in  this 
respect.  The  loves  of  birds  would  form  as  fruitful  a 
theme  as  those  of  the  poets  themselves.  In  their 
attachments  they  are  generally  faithful  and  affection- 
ate— and  it  must  be  confessed  they  are,  like  men,  a 
little  jealous  sometimes.  Audubon  gives  a  beauti- 
ful description  of  the  loves  of  humming-birds.  He 
says  that  in  their  courtship,  the  male,  dancing  airily 
upon  the  wing,  swells  his  plumage  and  throat,  and 
whirls  lightly  around  the  female  ;  and  then  diving 
towards  a  flower,  he  returns  with  loaded  bill,  which 
he  proffers  to  her.  He  seems  full  of  ecstacy  when 
his  caresses  are  kindly  received.  His  little  wings 
h\i  her  as  they  fan  the  flowers,  and  he  transfers  to 
her  bill  the  insect  and  the  honey  which  he  has  pro- 
cured. If  his  addresses  are  received  with  favor, 
his  courage  and  care  are  redoubled.  He  dares  even 
to  chase  the  tyrant  fly-catcher,  and  hurries  the  blue 
bird  and  martin  to  their  nests  ;  and  then,  on  sounding 
pinions,  he  joyously  returns  to  his  lovely  mate.  Who 
would  not  be  a  humming-bird  ?    Audubon  says  : 

"  Could  you,  kind  readers,  cast  a  momentary 
glance  at  the  nest  of  the  humming-bird,  and  see,  as  I 
have  seen,  the  newly  hatched  pair  of  young,  little 
larger  tlian  the  bumble-bees,  naked,  blind,  and  so 


0  F     B  I  R  ]>  S  .  83 

feeble  as  scarcely  to  be  able  to  raise  tlicir  little  bills 
to  receive  food  from  their  parents,'  full  of  anxiety 
and  fear,  passing  and  re})assing  within  a  few  inches 
of  your  face,  alighting  on  a  twig  not  more  tlian  a 
yard  from  your  body,  awaiting  the  result  of  your 
unwelcome  visit  in  a  state  of  the  utmost  despair — 
you  could  not  fail  to  be  impressed  with  the  deepest 
pangs  which  parental  affection  feels  on  the  unexpec- 
ted death  of  a  cherished  child.  Then  how  pleasing 
is  it,  on  your  leaving  the  spot,  to  see  the  returning 
hope  of  the  parents,  when,  after  examining  the  nest, 
tlicy  find  their  nurslings  untouched !" 

We  have  remarked  above  that  birds,  as  well  as 
men,  are  sometimes  jealous  in  love.  An  exception, 
however,  may  be  found  to  this  general  rule  in  the 
golden-winged  woodpecker,  a  frequent  and  well- 
known  inhabitant  of  our  American  forests.  Among 
the  bright  beaux  and  belles  of  this  interesting  tribe 
no  jealousies  seem  to  exist,  and  no  quarrels  ever 
occur.  Cheerily  they  hop  through  life,  attended  by 
the  good  wishes  of  all  their  acquaintances,  and  of 
each  other.  No  sooner  does  spring  call  them  to  the 
pleasant  duty  of  selecting  mates  and  pairing  off, 
than  their  voices  may  be  heard  from  the  tops  of 
high,  decayed  trees,  proclaiming  with  delight  the 
opening  of  the  welcome  season.  Their  note  at  this 
period  is  merriment  itself,  and  when  heard  at  a  little 
distance  resembles  a  prolonged  and  jovial  laugh. 
These  golden-winged  woodpeckers  are  the  darlings 
of  Audubon.     In  describing  their  manner  of  mating, 


84  M  B  R  R  Y  '  8     B  0  0  K 

he  says  tliat  several  males  surround  a  female,  and 
to  prove  the  truth  and  earnestness  of  their  love,  bow 
their  heads,  spread  tticir  tails,  and  move  sideways, 
backwards  and  forwards,  performing  such  antics  as 
would  induce  any  one  witnessing  them  to  join  his 
laugh  to  theirs.  The  female  joyfully  flics  to  another 
tree,  where  she  is  closely  followed  by  her  suitors, 
and  where  again  the  game  ceremonies  are  gone 
through  with  until  a  marked  preference  is  indicated 
for  some  individual. 

In  this  way,  all  the  gold  en- winged  woodpeckers 
are  soon  happily  mated,  and  each  pair  proceeds  to 
excavate  a  hole  in  a  tree  for  a  nest.  They  work 
alternately,  wijli  industry  and  apparent  pleasure. 
When  the  nest  is  finished  they  caress  each  other  on 
the  tree  top,  rattle  their  bills  against  the  dead 
branches,  chase  their  cousins  the  red  hond,  defy  the 
purple  graklea  to  enter  their  nest,  and  feed  plenti- 
fully on  ants,  beetles,  and  larva?.  By  and  by  the 
female  lays  four  or  six  eggs,  the  whiteness  and 
transparency  of  which  are  doubtless  the  delight  of 
her  heart.  These  woodpeckers  raise  a  numerous 
progeny,  having  two  broods  every  season. 

The  loves  of  the  turtle-dove  and  mocking-bird  are 
graphically  described  by  Audubon,  as  are  also  those 
of  the  wild  turkey,  who  is  said  to  be  even  more 
ridiculous  in  his  motions,  and  more  absurd  in  his 
demonstrations  of  affection,  than  is  our  common 
tame  gander.  The  curious  evolutions  in  the  air  of 
the  great  horned  owl,  or  his  motions  when  he  has 


0  P     B  I  R  D  S  .  85 

aliglitcd  near  his  beloved,  Audubon  confesses  liirn- 
self  una])le  to  describe.  He  says  the  bowings  and 
snappings  of  his  bill  are  extremely  ludicrous  ;  and 
no  sooner  is  the  female  assured  that  the  attentions 
paid  her  by  her  lover  are  the  result  of  sincere 
affection,  than  she  joins  in  the  motions  of  hqr  future 
mate. 

So  much  for  the  loves  of  birds.  In  many  respects 
they  resemble  those  of  men.  We  have  among  us  in 
society  our  humming-bird  lovers,  our  golden-winged 
poodpeckers,  our  turtle-doves,  our  turkeys  and  gan- 
ders ;  ^and  occasionally  we  find  a  pair  who  remind 
us  of  horned  owls. 


8G 


merry's    R  0  o  k 


/^ 


THE     GOLDEN     EAGLE. 


0  P     B  I  R  D  8  ,  87 

THE   GOLDEN   EAGLE. 

THIS  is  one  of  the  largest  and  noblest  of  all  those 
))irds  that  have  received  the  name  of  eagle.  The 
length  of  the  female  is  three  feet  and  a  half ;  it 
weighs  from  sixteen  to  eighteen  pounds  ;  but  the 
male  seldom  weighs  above  twelve  pounds.  Its  bill 
is  three  inches  long,  and  of  a  deep  blue  ;  and  the  eye 
of  a  very  brilliant  hazel  color.  The  sight  and 
sense  of  smelling  are  very  acute.  The  head  and 
neck  arc  clothed  with  narrow  sharp  pointed  feath- 
ers, of  a  deep  brown  color,  bordered  with  tawny 
ones  ;  but  those  on  the  crown  of  the  head,  in  very  old 
birds,  turn  gray. 

There  are  numerous  species  of  eagles,  all  of  which 
are  generally  found  in  mountainous  and  ill-peopled 
countries,  and  breed  among  the  loftiest  cliffs.  They 
choose  those  places  most  remote  from  man  for  their 
residence,  and  build  their  nests  on  the  inaccessible 
cliffs.  These  are  sometimes  protected  by  a  jutting 
crag  but  are  frequently  wholly  exposed  to  the  winds  ; 
for  they  are  flat,  though  built  with  great  labor.  It 
is  said  that  the  same  nest  serves  the  eagle  during 
life,  and  the  pains  bestowed  in  forming  it  would 
seem  to  authorize  that  belief.  When  a  male  and 
female  have  paired  they  remain  together  till  death. 

The  eagle  is  at  all  times  a  formidable  neighbor, 
lie  carries  away  hares,  lambs,  and  kids  ;  often  des- 
troys fawns  and  calves,  to  drink  their  blood,  and 
carries  a  part  of  their  flesh  to  his  retreat.     An  in- 


88  MERRY'snoOK 

stance  is  related  in  Scotland  of  two  children  being 
carried  off  by  eagles  :  they  fortunately  received  no 
harm  by  the  way,  and  were  restored  unhurt  out  of 
the  nests  to  the  affrighted  parents. 


EAGLE  FEEDING  HER  YOUNG. 

Some  time  ago,  it  happened  that  a  peasant  resolved 
to  rob  the  nest  of  an  eagle,  that  had  built  in  a  small 
island  in  the  beautiful  lake  of  Killarncy.  He 
accordingly  stripped  and  swam  in  upon  the  island, 
while  the  old  ones  were  away ;  and  robbing  the 
nest  of  its  young,  he  was  preparing  to  swim  back^ 
with  the  eaglets  tied  in  a  string.  "While  he  was  yet 
up  to  his  chin  in  the  water,  the  old  eagles  returned, 
and  missing  their  young  quickly  fell  upon  the  plun- 


,     OF     BIRDS.  S^ 

derer,  and  despite  of  all  his  resistance,  dispatclicd 
him  with  their  beaks  and  talons. 

Of  all  animals  the  eagle  flies  highest,  and  on  tliis 
account  he  was  called  by  the  ancients  the  Bird  of 
Jove.  Of  all  birds,  too,  he  has  the  quickest  eye, 
but  his  sense  of  smelling  is  far  inferior  to  that  of  the 
vulture.     His  principal  aliment  is  raw  flesh. 

The  plumage  of  the  eaglets  is  not  so  strongly 
marked  as  it  is  when  they  come  to  be  adult.  They 
are  at  first  white,  then  inclined  to  yellow,  and  at 
last  light  brown.  Age,  hunger,  long  captivity,  and 
diseases,  make  them  whiter.  It  is  said  that  tliey 
live  above  an  hundred  years  ;  and  that  they  at  last 
die,  not  of  old  age,  but  from  the  beak  turning  in- 
wards upon  the  mandible,  and  thus  preventing  their 
taking  any  food.  They  are  indeed  equally  remark- 
able for  their  longevity  and  for  their  power  of  sustain- 
ing a  long  abstinence  from  food. 

The  descriptions  of  the  Golden  Eagle  given  by 
systematic  authors  correspond  but  little  with  the 
name.  Willoughby  says,  tliat,  "  the  small  feathers 
of  the  whole  body  are  a  dark  ferruginous  or  chest- 
nut ;"  Linnosus,  that  '*  the  body  is  variegated  with 
brown  and  rusty  ;"  Latham,  that  the  "  head  and  neck 
arc  deep  brown,  the  feathers  bordered  with  tawny, 
hind-head  bright  rust  color,  body  dark  brown  ;" 
Bewick,  that  "the  general  color  is  deep  brown, 
mixed  with  tawny  on  the  head  and  neck  f  Fleming, 
that  "  the  acuminated  feathers  on  tlie  head  and  neck 
are  bright  rust  color,  the  rest  of  the  plumage  dusky 


90 


MERRY'S     BOOK 


brown;"  Baron  Cuvicr,  that  it  is  "more  or  less 
brown  ;"  Temminck,  tliat  "  the  young  at  the  age  of 
one  or  two  years  have  all  tlie  plumage  of  a  ferrugin- 
ous or  reddish  brown,  clear  and  uniforn  on  all  parts 
of  the  body  ;"  and  in  proportion  as  they  advance  in 
age  the  colors  of  the  plumage  "  at  first  is  white,  then 
faint  yellow,  and  afterwards  it  becomes  a  bright 
copper  color." 

Belon  even  ventures  to  infer  that  when  Aristotle 
first  used  the  term  golden,  he  did  not  mean  that  it 
was  gilded,  but  only  rather  more  reddish  than  other 
species.  But  on  turning  to  the  passage  in  Aristotle, 
we  find  that  he  says  expressly,  that,  "  the  color  is 
yellow." 


THE    WASHINGTON    EAGLE. 


O  F     n  I  R  D  s  91 


THE  LITTLE  CHILD  AND  THE  ROBINS. 

To  an  elm  tree  close  by  our  window, 

Two  dear  little  robins  have  come, 
And  up  in  its  shady  green  branches. 

Have  made  them  a  beautiful  home. 

The  green  leaves  soft  waving  above  them 
And  the  roof  that  o'ershadows  their  nest, 

And  the  wind  whispering  gently  around  them, 
Is  the  music  that  lulls  them  to  rest. 

When  the  sun  comes  up  from  the  shadows. 

To  tell  that  a  new  day  is  born, 
They  wake  up,  these  two  little  robins 

And  hail  the  bright  light  with  a  song. 

And  soon  their  sweet  carols  of  gladness 

Awaken  me  out  of  my  dreams, 
And  I  find  that  the  glorious  sun  shine 

Is  flooding  the  room  with  its  beams. 

And  I  offer  ray  prayer  of  thanksgiving, 
To  the  great  God  who  dwells  up  on  high, 

Who  takes  care  of  the  birds  and  the  children, 
And  not  one  forgotten  shall  die. 

And  every  night  before  sleeping, 
When  the  bght  I  no  longer  can  see, 

I  pray  to  my  Father  in  Heaven, 
Td  take  care  of  the  birdies  and  me. 

And  I  know  if  I'am  good  and  obey  him, 

I'll  be  happy  all  my  life  long, 
Till  at  length,  in  that  beautiful  Heaven 

I  shall  praise  him  forever  in  song. 


92 


MERRY'S     BOOK 


THE  WILD  TURKEY. 

THIS  beautiful  bird  is  abundant  in  the  wooded 
and  uncultivated  parts  of  the  Western  States, 
and  the  vast  forests  of  the  great  valley  of  tlie  Mis- 
sissippi. 

In  the  fall  of  tlie  year,  it  spreads  itself  tlirough 
the  country  in  search  of  food,  upon  wln'ch  its  migra- 
tions depend.     (This  period  is  called  l)y  tlie  Indians 


O  F     B  I  R  D  S  .  93 

the  turkey  months.)  These  are  made  entirely  on 
loot,  till  the  turkeys  reach  the  river.  They  tlieii 
ascend  to  the  tops  of  tall  trees,  and,  at  the  cluck  ot 
theij-  leader,  lly  to  the  opposite  bank,  the  young 
ones  sometimes  falling  into  the  water  and  drowning. 
Their  speed  is  very  considerable,  and,  when  molest- 
ed, they  run  with  the  velocity  of  a  hound.  After 
long  journeys  in  frosty  weather,  they  sometimes  asso- 
ciate with  the  poultry  near  farm-liouses,  and  enter 
the  barns  for  grain.  During  this  season  great  num- 
bers arc  killed  by  the  inhabitants,  who  preserve  them 
in  a  frozen  state  and  transport  them  to  a  distant 
market. 

The  female  lays  her  eggs  in  April,  ia  a  hole 
slightly  scratched  in  the  ground,  and  covered  with 
withered  leaves.  These  she  studiously  conceals,  and 
Bcldom  abandons,  and  hatches  from  ten  to  fifteen 
young  birds.  The  care  and  tenderness  of  the  parent 
is  now  evinced  by  watching  for  the  slightest  danger, 
and  resorting  to  places  where  there  is  the  best  sup- 
ply of  fruit  and  berries. 


94  merry'sbook 


THE   HAWKING   PARTY. 

IjlALCONRY  was  tlio  favorite  field-sport  of  the 
J  middle  ages  ;  but  since  the  invention  of  guns  with 
firelocks,  it  seems  to  have  declined,  as  guns  are  a 
much  more  effectual  means  of  bringing  down  game 
than  the  use  of  falcons  and  hawks. 

Some  of  our  young  readers  may  ask  what  falconry 
is  ;  we  reply  that  it  is  a  process  of  taking  feathered 
game  by  the  use  of  falcons,  hawks,  eagles  or  other 
rapacious  birds,  that  are  trained  to  the  business, 
just  as  dogs  are  trained  to  pursue  the  hare,  the  fox^ 
or  the  deer.  Sometimes  the  sport  was  called  hawk- 
ing, as  the  falcon  is  a  species  of  hawk.  Falconry, 
while  it  existed,  was  the  peculiar  sport  of  kings  and 
nobles,  many  of  whom  are  now  represented  in  their 
portraits  with  their  favorite  hawk  seated  on  their 
wrist,  thus  showing  the  special  regard  in  which  they 
held  the  animal  that  gave  them  so  much  amusement. 
The  training  of  falcons  to  pursue  their  game  and 
return  again  to  their  owners  was  a  laborious  and 
difficult  process.  It  was  necessary  to  take  them 
when  they  were  very  young,  and  by  slow  steps 
teach  them  what  was  to  be  done.  When  the  falcon 
did  as  was  required,  it  was  fed,  and  thus  made  to 
know  that  it  had  done  right.  If  it  was  refractory 
and  disobeyed,  a  cold  stream  of  water  was  poured 
on  its  head,  as  an  admonition  that  it  had    done 


0  F     13  I  R  D  S  .  95 

It  warf  said  tu  1)C  a  ,L>allaiit  and  goodly  sight  when 
a  large  train  of  wcll-mouiited  English  ladies  and 
gentleman  rode  forth  on  a  clear  day  to  pursue  this 
sport,  attended  by  falconers,  each  with  his  hawk  on 
his  wrist. 

Dogs  were  used  to  start  the  game,  and  then  at  a 
proper  time  the  hawk  was  let  loose  to  pursue  it  as- 
it  soared  upward  in  the  air.  The  atrial  conflict 
often  became  intensely  exciting  to  the  lookers  on. 
If  one  hawk  was  not  sufficient  to  bring  down  the 
game,  another  and  another  were  let  loose,  till  vic- 
tory was  achieved,  and  the  conqueror  and  the  con- 
quered came  down  rapidly  to  the  ground,  amid  the 
shouts  of  the  gay  party. 


96 


MERRY'S     BOOK 


^^N.C^'^ 


THE   PARTEIDGE. 

THE  partridge,  properly  speaking,  is  not  a  native 
of  the  United  States.  The  bird  called  partridge 
in  New  England,  is  actually  a  species  of  grouse. 
The  bird  called  quail  in  that  par.t  of  the  Union,  and 
partridge  at  the  south,  is  both  unlike  the  true  quail 
and  partridge  of  Europe,  though  it  resembles  both. 
There  is  a  very  beautiful  bird  called  a  quail  in  Cal- 
ifornia, about  the  size  of  our  common  species  ;  and 
in  South  America  there  are  other  varieties  ;  but  it 
does  not  appear  that  the  true  partridge  is  found  on 
our  continent   This  is  one  of  those  curious  instances, 


O  F     B  I  R  D  8  .  97 

among  thousands  of  others,  in  which  the  natural  pro- 
ducts of  the  New  World  resemble  those  of  the  Old, 
yet  never,  or  very  rarely,  becoming  identical.  It  is 
strange  that  among  all  our  thrushes,  jays,  sparrows, 
linnets,  pigeons,  and  doves — among  all  our  deer, 
squirrels,  wolves,  foxes,  and  hares — nay,  even  among 
all  oaks,  elms,  walnuts,  and  maples — we  have  not  a 
single  species  which  finds  it  exact  representative  in 
Europe,  Asia,  or  Africa. 

The  quails  and  partridges  are  regarded  as  one 
genus,  and,  taken  together,  they  are  a  most  interest- 
ing family.  Probably  there  are  at  least  a  hundred, 
species,  and  though  some  are  large,  and  some  are 
small — though  some  whistle  and  some  only  peep — 
though  some  live  in  the  polar  regions  of  the  north, 
and  others  in  the  hot  climate  near  the  equator — they 
are  everywhere  the  same  gentle  race,  seeking  culti- 
vated fields,  and  dwelling  in  the  vicinity  of  man,  even 
though  he  is  their  greatest  enemy.  They  lay  a  large  • 
number  of  eggs,  and  hatch  broods  of  ten  to  eighteen 
at  a  time.  The  female  is  most  devoted  to  her  young 
ones,  and  often  employs  many  stratagems  to  lead  a 
pursuer  away,  so  that  her  offspring  may  escape. 
Her  yo.ung  chickens  have  a  wonderful  instinct  in 
eluding  danger,  and  will  often  baffle  the  keenest 
eye,  by  hiding  under  leaves,  or  crouching  under 
sticks  and  stones,  until  it  is  safe  to  leave  their  con- 
cealment. 


98 


merry's    book 


m 


THE   OSTKICH  RIDEE. 

LET  tlie  far-clad  Laplander  boast 
Of  the  reindeer's  bird-like  speed  — 

Let  the  Arab,  for  riding  post, 

Bet  high  on  his  mettlesome  steed ; — 

Let  the  Briton  talk  loud  of  the  chase 
With  the  Fox,  or  the  hare,  or  the  stag 

Let  the  Yankee,  stark  mad  in  the  race. 
Count  miles  by  the  minutes,  and  brag  ;- 

The  bird  of  the  desert  is  ours — 

Competitors  all  we  defy — 
A  bird  of  such  wonderful  powers, 

We  scarce  know  if  we  ride  or  we  fly. 


» 


0  P     B  I  R  D  S  .  99 

You  have  all  of  the  hippogriff  heard, 

For  metal  and  speed  a  rare  thing, 
Ilalf-breed  betwixt  courser  and  bird, 

Keeping  pace  with  foot  and  with  wing. 

The  bird  of  the  desert  is  he. 

The  ostrich  of  beautiful  plume, 
Skimming  earth,  as  a  swallow  the  sea, 

Or  an  eagle  the  lofty  blue  dome. 

He  laughs  at  the  speed  of  the  hind. 

For  pursuers  he  feels  no  concern, 
He  travels  ahead  of  the  wind, 

Ind  leaves  the  dull  lightning  astern. 

THE    OSTRICH. 

A  TRAVELER  in  Africa  says,  no  captive  ostrich 
exhibited  in  zoological  garden  or  menagerie  can 
give  any  just  idea  of  the  native  bird.  Reaching  at 
limes  the  height  of  eight  or  nine  feet,  it  weighs  from 
200  to  300  pounds,  and  has  strength  enough  to  kill, 
with  a  blow  of  his  foot,  a  panther,  a  jackal,  or  a 
hyena.  The  most  incredible  stories  are  told  of  its 
speed  of  foot.  One  traveler  asserts  that  an  ostrich, 
with  two  men  on  its  back,  outstripped  a  fleet  horse. 
It  leaps  over  the  plain  in  bounds  of  from  twelve  to 
fourteen  feet,  its  claws  hardly  seeming  to  touch  tho 
ground.  From  man  it  invariably  tries  to  escape, 
but  its  devices  are  not  so  stupid  as  some  books  on 
natural  history  would  lead  us  to  suppose.  When  a 
pair  of  ostriches  with  their  young  are  attacked,  the 
male  ostrich  will  separate  himself  from  his  family, 


100 

and  at  a  short  distance  pretend  to  be  wounded  and 
roll  on  the  ground.  The  hunter  runs  towards  him 
to  secure  him,  but  the  cunning  bird  is  up  and  off 
again  in  proper  time — meanwhile  the  mother  with 
her  young  have  had  a  good  start.  The  ostrich  is 
graminivorous  when  there  is  any  v endure  to  be  had 
—otherwise  he  will  eat  sticks  and  stones.  The  egg 
of  an  ostrich  is  said  to  be  equal  to  twenty-four  hen's 
eggs,  and  the  flavor  is  very  superior. 

Ostriches  are  very  often  killed  by  stratagem.  A 
native  covers  a  saddle  or  cushion  with  ostrich  feath- 
ers, and  shoulders  it.  His  legs  he  whitens,  and  in 
his  hands  he  holds  a  head  and  neck  of  an  ostrich, 
through  which  a  pliant  stick  has  been  thrust.  Tlius 
disguised,  he  trots  out  into  the  plain,  picking  up  the 
grass  with  his  sham  head,  and  shaking  his  feathers, 
after  the  most  approved  ostrich  fashion.  His  new 
fellow-creatures  stare,  but  after  a  wliile  set  him 
down  for  a  real  ostrich,  and  continue  their  repast  or 
gambols.  Suddenly  one  of  them  tumbles  down, 
struck  by  a  poisoned  arrow.  The  whole  flock  gallop 
off  in  a  fright ;  but  the  most  astonished  of  the  party 
is  the  new-comer,  who  runs  at  double  quick  speed, 
and  takes  care  to  sidle  up  to  the  strongest  males  for 
protection.  In  this  way,  a  m*an  has  been  known  to 
slay  eight  or  ten  fine  birds  in  a  day.  It  is  a  trick 
almost  equal  to  that  of  some  of  the  honest  politicians 
of  our  day,  who  put  on  the  cloak  of  friendship  for 
some  great  measure,  only  to  secure  a  favorable 
opportunity  to  smother  it  at  Inst. 


OF     BIRDS 


101 


TIIK    BIRD'S    NKST. 

Who  taught  the  pretty  little  bird 

To  build  her  nest  so  well, 
In  which  herself  and  family 

Might  find  a  place  to  dwell  ? 

She  gathered  grass  from  the  green  field, 
And  hair,  and  straw,  and  hay, 

And  wandering  string,  and  vagrant  hair, 
And  spent  thus  many  a  day. 


102  merry's    book 

With  her  small  boak  unci  tiny  claws 

She  wove  all  these  together, 
And  built  herself  a  nice  round  nest, 

To  keep  out  wind  and  weather. 

And  soon  there  were  three  pretty  eggs, 

As  blue  as  they  could  be, 
\ud  by-and-by  you  might  have  seen, 

Wee  birdies — one,  two,  three  ! 

What  were  the  names  of  these  young  birds  ? 

Why,  "  Tom,"  and  "Dick,"  and  "Sallie  ;" 
Ere  many  days  they  all  could  fly 

Far  over  hill  and  valley. 

'Tis  God  that  taught  the  parent  bird 

To  build  so  nice  a  dwelling, 
To  weave  her  wondrous  httle  nest. 

In  beauty  rare  excelling. 

And  if  God  cares  for  little  birds, 

Much  more  for  us  he'll  care, 
4.nd  every  thing  that  we  shall  want. 

He  will  for  us  prepare. 

FREDERICK  had  found  a  bird's  nest  in  the  gar- 
den. It  was  almost  concealed  among  the  flow- 
ers and  leaves  of  a  tall  rose  bush.  He  had  cautiously 
crept  near  it,  and  how  happy  he  was  to  find  that  it 
contained  young  ones. 

He  carefully  took  the  nest  from  the  branch  where 
it  was  placed,  and  showed  it  to  his  little  brother  and 
sister. 

"  0,  brother,"  said  little  Agnes,  "  one  of  the  birds 


OF     BIRDS.  103 

must  be  mine,  and  must  be  named  Pecksy,  like  the 
little  robin  in  the  story  book.'' 

"  And  one  must  be  mine,"  said  little  Robert,  "  and 
I  shall  want  to  tie  a  string  to  him,  and  hold  him  so 
he  can  never,  never  fly  away." 

"  We  must  get  a  strong  cage  for  them  in  the  first 
place,"  said  Frederic,  "  and  take  care  of  them,  and 
let  them  grow  up  into  big  birds,  for  now  the  poor 
little  things  cannot  fly,  or  do  any  thing  for  them- 
selves. ' 

"  Who  takes  care  of  the  little  birds  when  they  are 
so  young  ?"  said  Agnes. 

"  0,  their  father  and  mother  birds,  to  be  sure  ; 
they  find  worms  and  bugs,  and  carry  them  in  their 
little  bills,  and  drop  them  into  the  mouths  of  the 
young  ones,  and  that  I  suppose  is  the  reason  that 
these  little  fellows  have  their  mouths  so  wide  open  ; 
they  are  expecting  the  old  birds  to  bring  them 
something." 

Just  then  the  children  perceived  two  robins  flut- 
tering about  them,  making  a  very  piteous  noise,  and 
the  little  birds  in  the  nest  opened  their  mouths  wider, 
and  peeped  as  loud  as  they  could. 

"  I  dare  say,"  said  Frederic,  "  that  is  the  father 
and  mother  of  our  little  birds,  and  I  am  thinking 
that  they  know  a  great  deal  better  than  we  do,  how 
to  take  care  of  their  young  ones,  and  I  think  I  had 
better  put  the  nest  back  where  I  found  it." 

"  I  think  so,  too,"  said  little  Agnes,  "  for  perhaps 
the  little  birds  would  not  have  a  very  good  time  in 


104 

the  cage  ;  and  "besides,  we  hare  not  got  any  cagt, 
and  I  am  not  quite  sure  that  mother  would  like  to 
have  us  take  away  the  birds  from  their  father  and 
mother. '^ 

Little  James,  who  did  not  understand  the  mattesr 
very  well,  still  persisted  that  he  wanted  his  bird, 
that  he  might  tie  a  string  to  it,  and  then  if'it  flew  up 
in  the  air,  he  could  get  it  again  when  he  pleased. 

But  Frederic  told  him  the  bird  would  be  unhappy 
to  be  so  treated,  and  that  he  would  ask  cousin  Maria 
to  cut  him  a  bunch  of  paper  birds,  which  would 
spread  out  their  wings,  and  who  would  not  feel  pain, 
if  he  pulled  the  string  ever  so  hard. 

This  satisfied  little  James,  and  Frederic  then 
placed  the  nest  exactly  where  he  had  found  it,  in  the 
rose  bush,  and  the  children  all  went  to  a  little  dis- 
tance and  kept  quite  still. 

In  a  moment  the  old  birds  came  back  to  the  nest, 
and  such  a  chirping  and  jButtering  as  took  place 
neyer  was  seen.  The  little  ones  were  probably  tell- 
ing how  dreadfully  they  had  been  frightened,  and 
old  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Robin  were  so  happy,  and  they 
praised  little  Frederic  so  much,  and  declared  when- 
ever they  saw  him  come  into  the  garden,  they  would 
sing  one  of  their  very  best  songs. 

Frederic's  mother  told  him  he  had  done  quite 
right  in  putting  the  nest  back.  He  had  better, 
another  time,  not  take  a  nest  down  at  all,  as  some- 
times the  old  birds  were  so  frightened  when  they 
found  the  nest  moved,  that  they  flew  away,  and  did 


OP     BIRDS. 


105 


not  eome  back  again.  Cousin  Maria  cut  James  tlic 
paper  birds,  wldch  pleased  him  so  much,  that  he 
thought  no  more  of  the  nest  *,  and  the  young  robins 
grew  up  into  very  fine  birds,  and  ate  up  so  many 
canker  worms  and  caterpillars,  that  Frederic's  fath- 
er's o-arden  was  the  wonder  of  the  neighborhood. 


THE      GARDEN 


106 


MERRY    S     BOOK 


WILD   PIGEONS   IN   PARIS. 

rriHERE  is  110  bird  more  timid  and  wild  than  tho 
-1  pigeon  in  its  natural  state  ;  yet,  by  gentle  treat- 
ment and  breeding  about  the  house,  it  becomes  very 
tame.  It  is  true  that  there  are  several  kinds  of  pig- 
eons, and  some  are  more  easily  tamed  than  otherl 


0  F     B  I  R  D  S  .  107 

Tlie  common  house  pigeon  is  a  peculiar  species,  and 
more  readily  becomes  domesticated  than  others.  Per- 
haps our  long-tailed,  swift  pigeon,  called  the  passen- 
ger, could  hardly  be  made  to  live  about  the  house  at 
all.  Even  if  one  of  them  were  hatched  in  a  pigeon 
house,  we  suspect  that  when  his  wings  and  tail  were 
full  grown,  he  would  fly  away  over  the  hills  and 
valleys,  and  never  come  back  again  to  thank  any 
body  for  his  bringing  up. 

In  France  there  is  a  fine,  large  species,  called  the 
wild  pigeon.  It  is  of  a  bluish  color,  its  neck  and 
breast  being  tinged  with  red,  and  shining  like  an 
amethyst.  On  the  back  of  the  neck  is  a  white  strip, 
extending  two-thirds  round  the  neck.  It  is  even 
larger  than  the  house  pigeon,  and  is  a  very  splendid 
bird. 

It  is  found  in  all  the  forests  of  Europe,  and  is  very 
timid  and  wild  ;  yet  flocks  of  this  species  breed  on 
the  tall  trees  of  the  gardens  of  the  Tuilleries,  in 
Paris,  and  being  always  allowed  to  come  and  go  as 
they  please,  they  often  fly  down  to  the  patches  of 
flowers  and  grass,  and  here  the  children  feed  them 
with  crumbs  of  bread.  They  are  almost  as  gentle 
as  chickens,  and  it  is  really  a  very  pretty  sight  to 
see  these  creatures  diving  down  from  the  tall  trees, 
when  they  see  the  little  girls  and  boys  throwing  out 
crumbs  for  them. 


108 


M  E  R  H  Y  \S     B  0  OK 


'^ 


THE  FIIIST  EOBIN  OF  SPRING. 
X  AM  Bobin  the  First  of  the  kingdom  of  song-, 

And  my  throne  is  the  bough  of  the  old  cherry  treo, 
The  zephyrs  of  spring  bear  my  mandates  along, 

And  the  gentle  and  good  are  all  subject  to  me. 

Glad,  glad  is  the  home  near  whose  precincts  I  stay, 

A  grant  to  abide  I  pay  with  delight ; 
My  matin  shall  cheer  it  at  close  of  the  day, 

And  my  vesper  hymn  bless  it  at  coming  of  night. 

As  when  in  the  gay  bowers  of  Eden  'twas  sung, 
I  sing  to  the  world  my  melodious  strain, 

And  the  heart  that  is  sad  the  earth's  discords  among, 
May  turn,  with  my  notes,  back  to  Eden  again. 

I  am  Eobin  the  First  of  the  kingdom  of  song, 
My  sceptre  the  power  of  melody  sweet, 

The  summer's  glad  months  my  rule  shall  prolong, 
And  its  flowery  trophies  be  laid  at  my  feet. 


OF     BIRDS.  10& 

ISAAC'S  WINTER  ROBIN. 

I  WAS  standing  at  my  window,  watching  the  fast- 
flying  clouds,  and  the  signs  of  a  gathering  storm. 
The  ground  was  dry  and  hard,  the  trees  were 
stripped  of  their  foliage,  and  seemed  to  shiver  in  the 
cold  wind.  The  doves  scudded  before  it  to  their 
homes,  and  the  fowls  of  the  yard  sought  shelter  in 
the  barn.  The  hardy  little  snow-bird  alone  seemed 
to  revel  in  the  eddies  of  the  gust,  and  defy  the 
angry  blustering  of  the  storm.  A  whole  troop  of 
them  were  hopping  and  twittering  about  the  grav- 
elled walk  and  the  lawn,  as  if  to  gather  up  the  last 
seeds  and  crumbs,  before  the  snow  should  cover  them. 
I  was  pleased  with  their  diligence,  their  activity, 
and  their  unanimity  of  sentiment,  clustering  together, 
and  flying  away  in  companies,  at  the  slightest  signal 
from  their  chief  sentinel,  who  was  always  accommo- 
dated with  a  high  place,  on  some  adjoining  knoll, 
stone  wall,  or  stump. 

While  watching  the  movements  of  these  singular 
little  augurs,  I  was  surprised  to  see  a  large,  beauti- 
ful, red-breasted  robin  alight  in  the  midst  of  them, 
and  commence  a  diligent  search  for  food.  I  had 
noticed  a  considerable  piece  of  bread  on  the  walk, 
which  Clara  had  thrown  from  the  window  to  her 
pet  chicken  in  the  morning.  The  chicken  had  left  a 
portion  of  it ;  two  or  three  snow-birds  had  pecked 
at  it,  and  several  were  now  trying  their  little  bills 
upon  what  remained,  when  the  robin,  hopping  brisk- 


110  merry's    book 

ly  into  the  circle,  seized  tlie  whole  in  his  beak,  and 
flew  away  to  the  woods.  Wliat  could  poor  red- 
breast be  doing  there,  so  late  in  the  season  ?  Had 
he  abandoned  his  instincts,  and  concluded  to  brave 
the  cold  of  a  northern  winter  alone,  while  all  his 
tribe  had  followed  the  sun  to  the  milder  regions  of 
the  south  ? 

Musing  disconnectedly  on  these  questions,  I  turned 
away  from  the  window,  and  drew  up  a  chair  before 
the  cheerful  fire.  Becoming  deeply  interested  in  my 
book,  I  did  not  notice  how  rapidly  the  storm  had 
gathered,  until  it  was  howling  at  every  door,  and 
whistling  at  every  window,  as  if  it  were  augry  to 
see  how  comfortable  everything  looked  within,  in 
spite  of  its  ravings.  Clara  was  sitting  on  the  other 
side  of  the  fire-place,  deeply  engaged  in  a  splendid 
piece  of  embroidery,  which  had  occupied  her  many 
months,  and  was  likely  to  engross  her  time  during 
the  remainder  of  the  winter. 

"  Clara,"  said  her  mother,  earnestly,  just  as  I  had 
finished  my  book,  "  can  you  not  afford  to  leave  your 
embroidery  a  little  while,  and  assist  me  to  finish 
these  garments  for  poor  old  Jane  ?" 

"  No,  mother  !"  replied  Clara,  coldly,  "  I  can  not 
spare  the  time.  Besides,  I  do  not  like  such  coarse 
work." 

"  Do  you  not  hear  how  bitterly  the  storm  howls 
without,  Clara  ?  And  poor  Jane's  cottage  is  not  as 
close  and  warm  as  our  house,  you  know  ;  nor  her 
woodpile  as  ample.      Her    children   are  actually 


OF      BIRDS.  Ill 

suffering  for  want  of  these  clothes,  and  such  an 
evening  as  this  should  make  us  considerate." 

Clara  had  set  her  heart  upon  finishing  this  work 
before  her  approaching  birthday  ;  and  even  this 
reasonable  appeal  to  her  benevolence  did  not  over- 
come her  selfish  purpose  sufficiently  to  induce  her  to 
devote  an  hour  or  two  to  promoting  the  comfort  of 
the  poor.  Her  mother  said  no  more,  but  went  on, 
with  increasing  diligence,  in  her  work,  and  borrowed 
some  hours  from  the  night,  in  order  to  have  it  all 
ready  for  the  morning.  She  hoped  that  a  little 
reflection  would  bring  Clara  to  a  better  state  of 
feeling,  and  that  her  heart  would  soon  respond  to 
the  appeal  that  had  been  made  to  it. 

I  was  grieved  to  find  that  one  so  dear  to  me  had 
so  little  sensibility — so  little  of  the  grace,  which, 
more  than  any  other,  is  the  ornament  of  woman.  I 
would  willingly  have  seen  her  deprived  at  once  of 
all  her  outward  accomplishments,  if  this  one  grace 
could  have  been  substituted  in  their  stead  ;  for  sel- 
fishness is  always  and  everywhere  hateful,  and  kin'd- 
ness  lovely  in  all  its  forms. 

The  morning  broke  clear  and  cold,  and  saw  the 
entire  surface  of  the  country  covered  with  a  deep 
mantle  of  snow.  It  sparkled  and  glittered  in  the 
"sun-beams,  while  myriads  of  shining  crystals  were 
driven  here  and  there  in  the  fitful  eddies  of  the  gale. 
The  trees  and  shrubs  were  incased  in  crystal,  and 
twinkled  and  flaslied  in  the  broad  glare  of  day,  as 
they  waved  to  and  fro  in  tlie  wind.     As  I  rose  from 


112  merry's     BOOK 

the  breakfast-table,  I  went  to  tlie  window,  and 
looked  out  upon  the  brilliant  but  cheerless  scene. 
Presently,  Clara  came  and  stood  by  my  side. 

"  0,  father  I''  she  exclaimed,  "  how  I  should  like  to 
have  a  sleigh-ride.  Won't  you  get  out  the  little 
grays  this  morning,  and  take  us  round  the  hill,  and 
let  us  stop  an  hour  at  Uncle  George's  ?" 

"  Yes,  my  dear,  if  you  can  spare  the  time  from 
your  embroidery." 

I  perceived  that  Clara  understood  me,  and  felt 
the  force  of  my  reproof,  and  therefore  said  no  more. 
As  she  turned  her  eyes  from  mine  toward  the  win- 
dow, she  exclaimed  :  "  Dear  father,  do  see  this  beau- 
tiful robin  on  the  window  sill  I" 

It  was  the  same  redbreast  that  I  had  seen  the  day 
before.  I  opened  the  window,  and  he  hopped  in 
upon  the  floor,  where  he  busied  himself  with  picking 
up  the  crumbs,  as  familiarly  as  if  he  had  been  brouglit 
up  there  ;  for  hunger  overcame  his  natural  timidity. 
He  was  liberally  provided  for,  and  was  soon  satis- 
fied ;  then,  taking  in  his  beak  the  largest  piece  he 
could  find,  he  Hew  to  the  window  again,  but  much  to 
his  surprise  and  alarm,  he  could  not  go  through  it. 
He  fluttered  about  it  for  some  time,  and  then  rested 
upon  the  sill,  looking  eagerly  out,  as  if  longing  to 
be  away. 

Though  I  feared  the  poor  thing  would  freeze,  if  I 
let  him  out,  I  knew,  also,  that  he  would  not  live,  if  I 
detained  him  against  his  will.  I  accordingly  moved 
gently  towards  the  window,  and  threw  up  the  sash. 


OF     BIRDS.*  113 

After  considerable  fluttering-,  the  bird  found  his  way 
out,  and  winged  his  flight  boldly  for  the  distant 
wood. 

Clara  was  deeply  interested  in  all  that  had  passed, 
and  had  many  questions  to  ask,  and  many  sugges- 
tions to  make.  "  And,  now,  father,"  said  she,  as  soon 
as  the  pretty  bird  was  gone,  "  I  mean  to  put  on  my 
India-rubbers,  and  fur  cloak  and  hood,  and  run  down 
to  tlie  the  wood,  and  see  if  I  can  not  find  out  where 
that  robin's  nest  is,  and  what  family  he  has  there  to 
provide  for,  in  this  inclement  season.'' 

"  Well,  Clara,"  I  replied,  "  get  yourself  ready,  and 
I  will  go  with  you." 

We  were  soon  on  our  way,  traveling  over  the  hard 
crust,  as  if  it  were  a  paveme.i}t  of  white  marble.  We 
slfould  have  found  it  a  difficult  matter,  on  arriving 
at  the  grove,  to  find  the  little  hermit,  if  he  had  not, 
just  as  we  passed  the  great  oak,  by  the  southern 
angle  of  the  garden  wall,  flown  up  into  its  outmost 
branch,  with  a  mouthful  of  grain  which  he  had  just 
procured  from  the  barn.  Though  we  saw  him  go 
up,  it  was  still  some  time  before  we  could  find  his 
refuge.  At  length  his  own  motions  revealed  it  to 
us.  It  was  a  nest  lodged  in  an  ample  crotch,  and 
protected  from  above  by  a  third  branch,  which  hung 
over  it  as  a  sort  of  canopy.  Redbreast,  while  we 
were  looking  for  him,  had  gone  on  another  errand 
to  the  barn,  and  soon  returned  with  something  in 
his  beak,  which  looked  like  a  worm.  Standing 
above  the  nest,  he  dropped  the  morsel,  whatever  it 


114  MERRY    S     BOOK 

was,  into  the  open  beak  of  anotlier  bird,  apparently 
as  large  as  himself,  of  which,  however,  we  could 
only  see  the  head. 

Determined  to  know  the  whole  story  of  the  bird 
whose  singular  conduct  had  itwakencd  so  deep  an 
interest  in  my  bosom,  I  procured  a  ladder,  and  as- 
cended to  the  nest.  Redbreast  hovered  anxiously 
about,  uttering  the  same  earnest  cry  as  when  his 
nest  of  young  ones  is  annoyed  in  summer  ;  though 
he  would  occasionally  come  very  near,  and  vary  his 
note  by  one  of  a  more  encouraging  tone.  In  the 
nest  I  found  a  full-grown  female  robin,  with  one 
foot  so  entangled  in  the  strong  net- work  of  her  own 
little  house,  that  she  could  not  escape,  though  there 
was  evidence  that  she  had  made  most  vigorous 
struggles  to  get  away.  She  was  poor  and  feeble, 
and  it  was  a  marvel  to  me  how  she  could  have  with- 
stood the  cold  of  the  season  so  long. 

I  believe  I  may  say,  without  at  all  misrepresenting 
the  truth,  that  the  prisoner-bird,  instead  of  scream- 
ing and  struggling  with  alarm  at  my  appearance, 
gi^eted  my  approach  with  a  note  of  grateful  wel- 
come, as  her  deliverer.  In  perfect  quietness  she 
suffered  me  to  take  her  in  my  hand,  and  unravel  the 
knot  that  bound  her,  and  then  she  laid  perfectly 
still,  while  I  descended  the  ladder,  and  bore  her  to 
the  house,  followed  by  her  noble  mate,  who  hovered 
around,  fluttering  from  tree  to  tree,  and  from  post 
to  post,  as  we  went.  I  arranged  a  very  comfortable 
place  for  them  in  the  barn,  and  redbreast  soon 


OF     BIRDS.  115 

found  his  way  there,  where  he  continued  his  kind 
and  faithful  conjugal  attentions,  till  the  health  and 
strength  of  his  partner  were  restored  ;  then,  avail- 
ing themselves  of  a  bright,  warm  day  in  Christmas 
week,  they  started  off  together  for  the  sunny  south. 

"Father,"  said  Clara,  as  we  were  walking  toward 
the  house  with  the  captive  bird,  "  how  strange  that 
this  redbreast  should  have  stayed  here  in  the  cold 
so  long  !  AVhy  did  he  not  go  with  the  other  birds 
to  the  south  ?" 

"  It  was  certainly  a  great  act  of  self  denial,"  I  re- 
plied, "  and  a  noble  instance  of  true  affection.  It 
should  teach  us  a  useful  lesson  in  our  duty  to  each 
other  and  to  our  fellow-men,  for  we  are  all  naturally 
disposed  to  selfishness.'' 

Clara  blushed.  She  was  evidently  thinking  of 
the  conversation  of  the  night  before,  in  the  parlor  ; 
and  she  inwardly  resolved  that  she  would  conquer 
her  selfishness.  And  often  afterward,  when  com- 
mended for  any  little  act  of  kindness  or  self-denial, 
she  would  modestly  reply,  "It  is  only  a  little  lesson 
I  learned  from  a  robin." 


116 


M  E  R  R  Y    S      BOOK 


FEEDING    HER    YOUNCx. 


OF     BIRDS.  in 


THE  FAITHFUL  BIRD   MOTHER. 

What  man  e'er  watched  the  anxious  art 
Of  little  birds  in  brooding  time, 

That  did  not  say  within  his  heart, 

"  God's  ways  are  perfect  as  sublime  ?" 

The  mightiest  works  at  his  behest 
Go  forth  in  glory,  «feright  and  fair  ; 

And,  lo !  yon  little  leafy  nest 
Proves  that  the  smallest  are  His  care. 

I  love  the  Spring  !  for  then  I  see 

Young  flowers  all  gladness  and  delight, 

Young  leaves  upon  the  forest  tree, 
Young  insects  taking  their  first  flight. 

I  love  the  Spring !  for  then  I  know 
The  3'ear  its  youthful  course  will  take  ; 

Then,  too,  I  view  the  songster  go 
To  build  its  nest  in  bower  or  brake. 

Poor  little  bird !  how  hard  you  earn 
A  dwelling  for  thy  infant  care ; 

Poor  bird  !  how  often  dost  thou  mourn 
Thy  home,  made  desolate  and  bare  : 

A  thousand  times  thy  wings  are  spread. 
Hunger  thou  feel'st  and  loss  of  rest, 

Ere  with  stern  patience  thou  hast  made 
With  moss  or  wood,  thy  humble  nest. 


118 


merry's    book 


THE  BIRD   MOTHER. 

And  wlien  the  spoiler  comes !  lie  comes 

With  eager  haste  and  cunning  eye, 
Regardless  of  thy  fluttering  plumes, 

Thy  anxious  arts,  thy  piercing  cry — 
0  Youth  !  thoughtless  in  deed  and  word. 

So  reckless — careless  in  thy  glee — 
The  Power  who  made  that  little  bird 

Gave  life,  and  breath,  and  strength  to  thee. 

Thou'st  home,  and  friends,  and  parents. good, 
The  loved — the  loving  by  thy  side,— 


OF     BI  R  DS  .  119 

The  lu)uschol(l  hearth,  the  plenteous  food, 

And  all  thy  many  wants  supplied  ;  ^ 

Whilst  the  poor  bird  the  blast  sustains — 

The  rain— the  whirlwind's  bitter  ire — 
And  when  the  icy  winter  reigns, 

It  has  no  dwelling,  food,  or  fire ! 

Thou  lov!st  its  song,  its  happy  song. 

It  sings  when  summer  breezes  blow  ; 
And  wouldst  thou  seize  its  helpless  young 

And  fill  its  tuneful  note  with  woe  ? 
O  !  wouldst  thou  rend  the  little  joy, 

The  parent  bliss  all  creatures  feel  ? 
Ah  ! — no  !— 'twere  cruel,  thoughtless  boy, 

To  wound  when  we've  no  power  to  heal. 

The  day  may  come — the  joyous  day — 

To  give  thy  blessing  to  thy  child ; 
0  !  were  thy  firstling  stol'n  away, 

How  would  thy  grief  be  reconciled  ? 
By  memory  of  the  rifled  nest ! 

The  bird's  lament — so  like  thy  tone  I 
The  anguish  that  contains  no  rest ! 

The  wild  cry— now — now  all  thy  own ! 

0  Youth !    forbear  all  treacherous  arts ; 

Joy,  based  upon  another's  wo, 
A  brief,  frail  pleasure  but  imparts — 

Man  should  all  cruelty  forego. 
Praise  Him,  who  gave  thee  life  and  light 

A  home  of  peace,  a  bower  of  rest. 
And,  gazing  on  the  poor  bird's  flight. 

Harm  not  i^s  young,  nor  rob  its  nest  \ 


120 


MERRYS     BOOK 


CURED    OF  BTRDNESTING. 


A\^l" 


OYS    generally   have    a 
fondnesss     for      huntinor 


bird's  nests,  let  me  tell 
j^ou  how  one  of  them  got 
cured  of  this  bad  habit. 

James  lived  in  a  pieas- 
ant  village  in  Pennsylva- 
nia. The  country  around 
was  hilly,  and  not  more 
than  a  mile  from  his  house 
was  a  high  rock,  which 
rose  perpendicularly  from  the  bed  of  a  river  on  one 
side.  The  view  from  the  top  of  this  rock  was  very 
fine  ;  hills,  rocks,  and  trees  in  every  direction,  with  a 
pretty  river  winding  through.  This,  of  course,  was 
the  favorite  resort  of  schoolboys  in  summer. 

One  Wednesday  afternoon,  school  being  out, 
James  proposed  to  his  schoolmates  that  they  should 
take  a  ramble  to  this  place,  and  it  was  unanimously 
agreed  to.  They  started  at  once,  with  merry  hearts, 
and  the  mile  between  them  and  the  rock,  though 
rather  a  long  one,  was  soon  left  behind  them.  Ar- 
rived there,  the  party  separated,  and  wandered  off 
in  various  directions.  Some  exercised  their  dexter- 
ity in  climbing  trees  and  rocks,  some  sailed  their 
little  boats  in  the  water,  some  hunted  about  for 
curiosities,  and  some  others  searched  for  birds' nests 
in  the  trees.     They  found  but  very  few  egg?^,  how- 


OF     BIRDS. 


121 


ever,  as  it  was  late  in  the  season  for  them,  but  found 
some  little  birds  hardly  large  enough  to  fly.  James 
was  among  these  nest  hunters,  and  he  joined  in  it 
with  as  much  zest  as  any.  This  was  his  greatest 
fault ;  he  was  a  fine,  amiable  boy  in  most  things,  and 
as  brave  as  need  be.  His  playmates  were,  of  course, 
very  fond  of  him.  They  did  not  think  his  fault  a 
very  serious  one,  as  many  of  them  were  q^s  fond  of 
birdnesting  as  he  was. 

Just  on  the  edge  of  the  rock  of  which  we  have 
spoken,  there  was  a  sloping  spot  of  earth.  A  tree 
had  sprung  up  here,  and  was  leaning,  over  the  water, 
that  swept  the  base  of  the  rock  thirty  or  forty  feet 
below.  This  spot  was  the  only  earth  within  the 
reach  of  the  tree's  roots,  but  fartlier  back  from  the 
edge,  the  rocks  rose  higher,  and  the  tree  was  so  sit- 


THE    BIRDLINOS. 


122  merry's    book 

uated,  that  it  was  watered  in  some  degree  by  streams 
that  ran  down  to  it. 

We  left  the  boys  looking  for  bird's  eggs.  Pres- 
ently the  egg  hunters  came  upon  this  tree,  and  saw 
a  bluebird  fly  toward  it.  They  found  she  had  a 
nest  in  it,  just  where  the  branches  join  the  main 
trunk.  They  wished  to  climb  the  tree,  but  thought 
it  too  da»gerous  to  attempt.  James  said,  however, 
he  would  try  it,  and  that  eggs  found  in  such  a  place 
would  be  grand  trophies.  The  rest  tried  to  dissuade 
him  from  it,  but  climb  it  he  would.  By  this  time 
the  whole  party  were  collected  around  the  tree,  and 
watched  him  with  the  greatest  anxiety,  as  he  began 
to  climb.  Just  as  he  was  about  to  put  his  hand  on 
the  nest,  the  boys  called  to  hiin  to  come  down,  as 
the  tree's  roots  were  loosening  ;  in  another  moment 
it  fell,  with  him  on  it,  down,  down  to  the  water  ! 
The  tree  fell  a  little  head  foremost,  at  first,  but  the 
head  of  the  tree  being  more  buoyant  than  the  trunk, 
it  soon  floated  horizontally.  James,  of  course,  ac- 
companied the  tree  in  its  fall,  and  as  it  struck  the 
surface  a  shower  of  water  was  dashed  over  him,  and 
as  he  recovered  his  senses,  he  found  himself  sitting 
on  the  tree  with  both  feet  hanging  in  the  water,  and 
his  clothes  thoroughly  wet.  Though  the  current 
was  strong,  the  tree  was  kept  from  floating  away  by 
some  of  the  branches  being  caught  in  the  mud  on  the 
bottom.  James  had  not  learned  to  swim,  and  there 
he  was  moored  in  the  river  with  little  chance  of 
escape,  the  rock  rising  like  a  wall  behind  ]iim  and 


OP     BIRDS.  123 

the  deep  water  all  around.  His  companions  on  the 
rock  saw  his  helpless  situation,  but  for  some  time 
could  think  of  no  way  to  assist  him.  One  of  them 
spoke  of  trying  to  find  a  boat  somewhere  along  the 
river,  but  it  was  a  lonely  place,  and  they  knew  of 
no  boat  to  be  found.  The  next  proposition  was  to 
make  a  raft,  but  the  river  banks  were  high  and  pre- 
cipitous, above  and  below,  for  some  distance,  and 
few  trees  near  it.     So  this  plan  would  not  do. 

At  last  one  of  them  thought  of  a  long  piece  of 
rope,  which  he  had  at  home.  He,  with  some  other 
boys,  started  to  get  it.  The  boys  who  remained 
spent  the  time  looking  for  stick:-  from  a  foot  to  two 
feet  in  length— the  use  of  which  you  will  presently 
see.  The  boys  who  had  gone  after  the  rope,  did 
not  return  for  some  time,  though  they  went  as  fast 
as  they  well  could.  The  rope  was  about  the  size 
of  a  clothes-line,  but  they  thought  it  was  strong 
enough  to  bear  James'  weight.  They  meant  that 
he  should  climb  on  it,  and  to  assist  him  in  doing  so, 
they  doubled  it  together,  and  tied  the  sticks  across 
it  which  had  been  collected,  Fastening  one  end  of 
their  ladder  at  the  top  of  the  rock,  they  threw  the 
other  to  James,  who  was  still  sitting  on  the  tree, 
just  in  the  place  where  it  fell. 

James  soon  got  hold  of  the  rope,  and  began  to 
climb  up  by  it.  He  found  his  strength  failing  him, 
but  succeeded  in  reaching  the  top,  and  was  helped 
upon  tlie  rock  by  his  friends,  who  were  rejoiced  to 
see  him  safe.     As  he  was  very  wet,  he  rested  but  a 


124 


ERRYS     BOOK 


short  time  before  he  started  homeward.  A  terrible 
cold  followed  his  adventure,  by  which  he  was  con- 
fined to  his  room  for  weeks. 

When  he  recovered,  he  made  a  promise  never  to 
rob  a  bird's  nest  ag>ain — so  that  in  the  end  this  acci- 
dent was  a  benefit  to  him,  in  curing  him  of  a  bad 
habit.  If  all  boys  who  engage  in  birdnesting  had 
as  severe  experience  of  it  as  James  had,  there  would 
soon  be  an  end  of  it  ;  and  the  dear  little  ones  could 
enjoy  themselves  in  peace  with  their  young. 


OF     BIRDS 


125 


THE  BITTERN. 

THE  European  bittern  is  a  very  diflferent  bird  from 
either  of  the  species  of  this  family  in  America. 
It  is  not  very  beautiful,  and  its  habits  are  none  of 
the  neatest.  Still,  tastes  differ ;  and  I  have  no 
doubt  but  the  bitterns  consider  themselves  models 
among  all  the  flying  race,  for  beauty  and  propriety. 
The  principal  characteristics  of  the  European  bittern 


126 

are  these  :  General  color,  light,  reddish  yellow  ;  up- 
per part  of  the  head  purplish  black  ;  rest  of  the  parts 
dusky  ;  lower  parts  paler,  with  longitudinal  dark 
marks  on  the  neck  and  breast ;  length  about  two 
feet  six  inches. 

This  species  was  formerly  very  plentiful  in  Eng- 
land. But  it  is  said  to  be  rare  now,  in  every  part 
of  Great  Britain.  It  is  sometimes  seen  in  the  less 
frequented  marshes,  where  it  is  a  permanent  resident. 
The  male  makes  a  singular  bellowing  noise,  not  at 
all  pleasant  to  human  ears.  The  deep,  guttural  bel- 
lowing of  the  bull  is  more  tolerable  than  this  un- 
earthly noise  of  the  bittern.  It  is  often  heard  at 
the  distance  of  a  mile,  and  sometimes  seems  as  if 
issuing  from  the  bottom  of  deep  water.  The  nest 
of  this  bird  is  formed  of  sedges  and  other  plants. 
The  female  lays  four  or  five  eggs,  of  a  gray  color. 
The  bird,  when  it  rises  from  the  earth,  flies  very 
slowly,  and  soon  alights.  Its  food  consists  of  small 
frogs,  lizards,  fishes,  tadpoles,  and  insects. 


OP     BIRDS.  127 


THE   SPARROW   AND   THE   FOUNDLING. 

DID  it  ever  come  to  your  knowledge,  little  reader, 
that  the  sparrow,  the  chipping-bird  as  he  is 
sometimes  called,  is  a  kind-hearted  fellow,  and  that 
has  been  known  to  perform  some  very  praiseworthy, 
not  to  say  heroic  acts.  Well,  such  is  the  character 
of  at  least  one  of  the  members  of  the  family,  as  I 
think  you  will  admit  when  I  tell  you  a  story  which 
I  heard  from  a  clergyman  the  other  day.  This 
gentleman  was  at  dinner  in  a  friend's  house,  when 
he  noticed  a  sparrow  fly  into  the  room  through  the 
open  door,  and  help  himself  to  the  crumbs  which  he 
found  under  the  table.  It  appeared,  too,  that  the 
confiding  little  fellow  came  and  went  several  times, 
as  if  he  was  carrying  food  to  his  young.  The  cir- 
cumstance was  mentioned  to  the  lady  of  the  house, 
who  said  that  this  was  a  common  occurrence.  At 
every  meal,  regularly,  this  sparrow  was  in  the  habit 
of  visiting  the  dining-room,  and,  after  helping  him- 
self to  a  little  food  of  carrying  off  some  choice  mor- 
sels. But  the  most  astonishing,  as  well  as  the  most 
affecting  part  of  the  story  remains  to  be  told.  The 
lady  pointed  my  friend  to  the  threshold  of  the  outer 
door,  when  lo  I  our  little  benevolent  gleaner  was 
feeding  a  young  mourning  dove.  This  bird,  it  ap- 
peared, was  an  orphan  ;  a  cruel  boy  had  killed  both 
her  parents,  and  this  poor  foundling  had  no  one  to 
take  care  of  her      In  this  condition,  she  was  dis- 


128 


MERRY'S     BOOK 


covered  by  the  sparrow,  who  immediately  adopted 
her  as  his  own  child,  and  for  weeks  afterward  pro- 
yided  food  for  her,  and  taught  her  how  to  take  care 
of  herself.  What  a  lesson  in  kindness  is  here  taught 
us  ;  and  how  that  cruel  boy  must  have  blushed  with 
shame,  if  he  ever  heard  of  the  care  of  that  sparrow 
over  his  poor  protege. 


OF     BIRDS. 


129 


THE     AUSTRALIAN     APTERYX. 


130 


THE   AUSTRALIAN   APTERYX. 

THERE  are  a  great  many  strange  and  fujiny-look- 
ing  birds  in  the  world.  Some  are  so  funny  and 
awkward-looking,  one  can  hardly  avoid  laughing  at 
them.  We  wonder  why  they  should  be  made  to 
look  so  queer,  and  to  move  an  act  so  clumsily. 
Here,  now,  is  the  Australian  Apteryx,  as  queer  a 
looking  customer  as  you  will  find  anywhere.  Some 
of  you  will  think,  no  doubt,  that  he  has  a  very  queer 
name,  too — one  that  corresponds  well  with  his  odd 
shape  and  singular  face  and  bill.  We  don't  know 
what  Apteryx  means,  but  we  should  think  such  a 
bird  with  such  a  bill  would  be  apt  to  rip  whatever 
might  come  in  its  way  ;  and,  as  it  has  no  wings  to 
fly  with,  it  would  not  be  apt  to  risk  getting  up  into 
a  tree.  However  that  may  be,  you  will  all  agree 
that  the  fellow  is  not  handsome — that  you  would 
not  risk  to  have  him  for  a  pet,  to  be  hung  up  in  a 
cage  in  the  parlor,  or  to  be  fed  from  your  hand  in 
the  garden,  Well,  there  is  no  great  probability 
that  you  will  ever  see  one.  They  are  not  found  in 
this  country.  They  belong  to  Australia,  which  is 
the  name  now  given  to  New  Holland,  a  very  large 
island,  or  continent,  on  the  south  of  Asia.  The 
natives  call  him  kiwi-kiwi.  If  that  name  is  given 
to  represent  his  song,  as  the  names  of  some  birds 
do,  we  should  not  set  him  down  as  a  very  musical 
character.    We  do  not  suppose  that  he  indulges 


OP     BIRDS.  131 

himself  much  in  singing.  He  inhabits  the  marshes, 
and  lives  on  insects  and  worms,  which  he  fishes  np 
with,  his  long  bill. 

Instead  of  wings,  the  apteryx  has  something  like 
arms,  or  the  rudiments  of  wings,  which  terminate  in 
a  sharp  hook,  and  which  seems  to  be  intended  for 
defence.  Its  feet,  which  are  rather  short,  have 
three  toes  in  front,  with  a  very  short  one  behind, 
the  claw  of  which  alone  can  be  seen.  It  is  about 
the  size  of  a  common  hen,  and  of  a  deep  brown 
color.  It  runs  with  rapidity.  It  seeks  its  food 
chiefly  in  the  night. 


132 


merry's    book 


OF     BIRDS.  133 


THE    DOVE. 

There  was  a  noble  ark, 
Sailing  o'er  the  waters  dark, 

And  wide  around 
Not  one  tall  tree  was  seen, 
Nor  jQower,  nor  leaf  of  green : 

All,  all  was  drowned. 

Then  a  soft  wing  was  spread, 
And  o'er  the  billows  dread, 

A  meek  dove  flew  ; 
Bat  on  that  shoreless  tide, 
No  living  thing  she  spied 

To  cheer  her  view  ; 

So  to  the  Ark  she  fled, 
With  weary,  drooping  head, 

To  seek  for  rest. 
Christ  is  the  Ark,  my  love, 
Thou  art  the  tender  dove, 

Fly  to  his  breast. 


134  merry's    book 


THE   MAGPIE. 

rilHE  magpie,  a  very  handsome  bird  of  the  crow 
X  kind,  is  about  eighteen  inches  in  length.  In 
color  it  is  variegated  with  black  and  white  ;  the 
black  part  of  the  plumage  having  (particularly  on 
the  tail  feathers)  a  beautiful  gloss  of  purple,  green 
and  blue  ;  the  tints  changing  as  viewed  in  different 
lights.  Magpies  are  found  in  England,  France,  and 
other  temperate  regions  of  Europe ;  but  are  com- 
paratively rare  in  America,  where  they  are  only  met 
with  in  the  north  and  west.  Their  food  is  of  animal 
or  vegetable  substances,  indiscriminately.  These 
birds  are  very  familiar,  and  easily  domesticated  : 
they  can  be  taught  to  repeat  words,  and  even  whole 
sentences.  In  their  wild  state,  when  they  meet  they 
chatter  incessantly  ;  seeming  to  carry  on  an  earnest 
and  animated  conversation.  They  have  a  remark- 
able propensity  for  thieving  and  hoarding  ;  and  will 
steal  not  only  food,  but  articles  of  which  they  can 
make  no  use  ;  such  as  buttons,  spoons,  and  jewelry. 
A  tame  magpie  has  been  known  to  pilfer  a  piece  of 
money,  and  hide  it  under  the  floor  by  dropping  it 
through  a  chink  or  hole  in  one  of  the  boards. 

Their  nests  (which  are  often  built  in  very  singular 
places)  are  ingeniously  constructed,  with  the  entrance 
at  the  side.  The  outside  is  defended  with  a  cover- 
ing of  sharp  twigs,  so  interwoven  as  to  stick  out  like 
thorns  all  over  the  surface.     The  inside  is  furnished 


OF     BIRDS.  135 

with  a  thick  bed  of  wool,  or  of  any  soft  substance 
they  can  mat  together. 

We  have  seen  an  anecdote  of  a  lady  in  England 
losing  an  expensive  lace  cap,  which  (with  other 
articles  of  a  similar  description)  had  been  spread  on 
a  grass  plat  to  bleach  or  whiten,  after  washing.  The 
cap  mysteriously  disappeared,  and  was  supposed  to 
have  been  stolen  :  but  there  was  no  ground  to  fix 
suspicion  on  any  person  in  particular.  A  few  weeks 
afterwards,  a  magpie's  nest  was  discovered  in  one 
of  the  garden  trees,  and  in  the  nest  was  found  the 
lace  cap,  which  had  been  pulled  to  pieces  by  the  bird 
and  formed  into  a  sort  of  mattrass  for  her  young 
ones. 

The  famous  story  of  the  Magpie  and  the  Maid,  is 
said  to  be  founded  on  fact.  The  Italian  version  of 
it  is  far  more  striking  than  the  French  ;  though  the 
latter  is  the  one  most  generally  known,  and  has 
afforded  a  subject  for  a  play  and  an  opera. 

According  to  the  Italian  account,  there  is  a  tra- 
dition in  Florence,  that  a  lady  of  that  city  on  re- 
turning one  night  from  a  ball,  having  taken  off  her 
jewels,  laid  them  on  her  toilet- table,  and  retired  to 
rest,  leaving  the  windows  open  on  account  of  the 
heat  of  the  weather.  Being  much  fatigued,  she  did 
not  awaken  till  a  late  hour  next  morning,  and  she 
then  found  that  her  pearl  necklace  was  missing.  The 
ornament  was  of  great  price,  and  she  suspected  it  to 
have  been  purloined  by  her  waiting-maid,  who  was 
the  only  person  that  had   entered  the  apartment 


136 

while  tlie  lady  was  asleep.  The  girl  in  vain  pro- 
tested her  innocence.  The  laws  of  that  country  and 
period  were  always  rigidly  enforced  on  those  who 
had  neither  wealth  nor  power  to  screen  themselves 
from  punishment,  whether  merited  or  otherwise. 
The  unfortunate  girl  was  imprisoned,  tried,  and  be- 
ing unable  to  clear  herself  of  the  suspected  crime, 
was  sentenced  to  death  for  the  theft.  On  her  way 
to  the  scaffold,  there  came  up  a  sudden  and  violent 
thunder-storm.  In  front  of  the  munclpal  hall,  and 
near  the  place  of  execution,  stood  a  statue  of  the 
goddess  of  Justice,  holding  in  one  hand  a  sword  and 
in  the  other  a  balance  or  pair  of  scales.  A  flash  of 
lightning  struck  the  balance  from  the  hand  of  the 
figure,  and  when  it  fell  to  the  ground  there  was 
found  in  one  of  the  scales  a  magpie's  nest,  containing 
the  identical  pearl  necklace  for  which  the  poor  girl 
was  about  to  suffer  death.  Her  innocence  being 
now  manifested,  she  was  restored  to  the  favor  of 
her  mistress  ;  and  her  sufferings  were  repaid  by 
unlimited  confidence  in  her  integrity,  and  numerous 
acts  of  kindness  and  munificence. 


OF     BIRDS 


137 


THE    CORMORANT. 


IS  web-footed,  and  dives  for  its  prey,  wliicli  it 
swallows  voraciously.  An  eel  will  sometimes,  by 
wriggling  and  struggling,  almost  release  itself  from 
the  engulfing  throat  of  the  cormorant,  then  the  cor- 
morant arouses  and  swallows  again,  till  the  eel  is 
captured  and  dined  upon  at  the  same  instant,  and 
dies  among  the  digestive  organs. 

The  eggs  of  tlie  cormorant  are  laid  upon  a  flat 
rock,  near  the  water.  It  is  easily  tamed,  and  its 
fishing  propensities  turned  to  good  account.  The 
Chinese  employ  them  in  this  way,  placing  a  ring 
around  the  neck,  to  prevent  their  swallowing  the  fish. 


138  merry's    book 

THE  BIRD   BATTLE. 

One  bright  summer  morn  I  had  wandered  away, 

By  the  din  of  the  city  beset, 
And  found  an  abode  near  whose  precincts  all  day, 

Scenes  of  beauty  and  grandeur  were  met. 
Quite  tranquil  I  sat  in  an  arbor  at  rest, 

And  gazed  on  a  glittering  wreath 
Which  hung  like  a  crown  on  the  near  mountain's  crest, 

The  landscape  wide  spreading  beneath. 

Far  down  in  the  distance  a  white-sailed  sloop  lav 

Like  a  gull  on  the  water  asleep  ; 
Abreast  of  the  headland  it  held  on  its  way, 

But  seemed  as  if  chained  to  the  deep. 
All  nature  was  lulled  in  a  languid  repose  ; 

The  birds  were  too  listless  for  song  ; 
E'en  the  clouds  seemed  preparing  their  eyelids  to  close, 

While  the  river  lapsed  idly  along. 

When  all  of  a  sudden  I  heard  such  a  scream 

Burst  forth  from  a  neighboring  tree, 
As  speedily  banished  my  half-finished  dream, 

And  made  a  close  watcher  of  me. 
A  robin  and  blue-bird,  engaged  bill  to  bill, 

In  sanguine  encounter  I  saw  ; 
They  fluttered  and  clattered  and  hacked  away,  till 

I  thought  they  must  blood  largely  draw. 

Now  red-breast  was  topmost — he  cuffed  and  he  kicked 

The  little  blue-wing  right  and  left ; 
Then  blue-bird  did  head  of  cock-robin  afflict. 

Till  he  seemed  of  his  top-knot  bereft. 
I  shouted  to  stay  them,  demanding  a  truce. 

The  cause  of  the  feud  while  I  gained  ; 
I  offered  to  mediate — what  was  the  use  ; 

No  audience  could  be  obtained. 


OF     BIRDS 


139 


140 


A  contest  was  raging,  and  had  to  be  lost, 

by  one  or  the  otjier,  be  sure  ; 
A  victory  gotten,  at  whatever  cost, 

Naught  else  could  their  heartburning  cure. 
I  ceased  intervening  to  watch  the  event, 

With  patience  becoming  the  case, 
The  blows  fell  less  rapid,  but  seemed  far  from  spent, 

Each  foeman  subsiding  apace. 

When  down  came  the  big  drops,  loud  sounded  the  boom 

Of  the  thunder-storm  sheeting  the  skies  ; 
Away  shot  the  robin  far  into  the  gloom, 

Away  fled  the  blue-bird  likewise. 
The  noise  of  the  conflict  was  instantly  drowned, 

The  combatants  nowhere  were  seen. 
The  rain  seemed  determined  such  things  to  confound, 

For  it  poured  forth  a  deluge,  I  ween. 

No  sign  did  I  witness  again  of  the  birds, 

Though  the  shower  was  presently  done. 
They  failed  to  rekindle,  in  notes  or  in  words, 

The  battle  which  neither  had  won. 
What  lessons,  I  pondered,  might  here  be  well  learned, 

For  curing  an  outbreak  or  broil. 
In  cities  misguided  or  e'en  overturned, 

By  factions  in  love  with  the  spoil. 

A  shower's  the  thing,  but  of  water,  not  ball. 

Well  applied  to  the  top  of  the  head. 
To  banish  the  qualms  of  law-questioners  all, 

And  make  them  law-lovers  instead. 
Then  let  us  remember,  when  riots  are  rife, 

And  fighting  is  getting  too  free, 
The  readiest  method  to  settle  such  strife. 

Is,  to'  treat  it  hydraulicaUy 


OF     BIRDS.  141 

YOUNG  BIRDS  AND   CHILDREN. 

VELL,  there  is  not  so  much  difference  between 
joung  birds  and  children  as  folks  might  sup- 
pose. One  is  a  young  animal  on  two  legs,  with 
feathers,  the  other  a  young  animal  on  two  legs  with- 
out feathers.  That  is  about  the  distinction,  as  we 
hold.  Perhaps  the  microscope  applied  to  the  cutane- 
ous covering  of  the  latter  animal  might  reveal  em- 
bryo feathers,  at  least,  if  not  embryo  wings,  a  la 
spirituelle.  We  can't  say  much  for  the  wings  of 
either  of  them,  to  be  sure,  for  the  wings  of  the  young 
birds  look  for  all  the  world  like  Connecticut  pegs — 
shoe  pegs — all  in  a  row,  which  have  suddenly  taken 
the  fancy  to  blossom  at  the  ends,  and  as  for  the 
folded  wind's  of  the  veritable  cherub,  we  suppose 
tliey  are  hid  in  the  wrinkles  of  fat  which  prevails 
over  the  best  specimens  of  premium  babies! 

We  do  not  fancy  metaphysics  in  treating  of  plain 
subjects,  however,  and  therefore  as  we  consider 
young  birds  extremely  ugly,  we  will  not  undertake 
to  gainsay  that  phraseology  in  speaking  of  babies. 
The  fact  is,  if  we  are  candid,  the  bird  and  baby  are 
alike,  little  fatty  monstrosites,  stuck  all  over  with 
ridiculous  pin-feathers,  looking  particularly  wicked 
and  bare  by  way  of  contrast,  we  suppose,  with  the 
horrible  red  flesh  underneath  them.  They  both 
have  wide  mouths,  always  agape,  and  specially 
ogreish,  pale,  hungry  eyes.  They  both  look  faint 
and  solemn,  as  if  they  were  sick  and  sorry  that  they 
had  ever  come  into  the  world,  and  hold  a  suspicious 


142 

expression  of  doubt  as  to  whether  there  is  food 
enough  in  the  world  to  keep  them  in  it,  which 
expressions  give  a  certain  de,2:ree  of  monrnfulness  to 
their  aspects  that  is  truly  confounding.  They  seem 
to  feel  as  if  they  had  been  inveigled,  by  some  unac- 
countable treachery,  into  an  arid  existence,  in  which 
both  food  and  drink  were  so  scarce  that  they  must 
both  be  taken  "  on  the  snap  !" 

Yet,  when  the  little  monster  flares  wide  the  blue 
clefts  of  inward  life  upon  her  vigi',  she  sees  again 
the  same  hungry  questioning  of  doubt.  It  seems  to 
say,  What  have  you  got  1  What  have  you  got  ? 
Can  I  live  in  this  drear  space  ?  What  wonder  the 
poor  mother  is  terrified!  What  wonder  that  she 
shudders  at  the  thought — this  being  lives  through 
me  —  I  am  Earth,  Heaven,  the  Universe  to  it ! 
Should  the  lacteal  founts  within  me  fail,  then  must 
it  go  away  !  To  this  being,  at  least,  I  am  divinity ! 
She  has  net  even  the  comfort  of  the  mother-bird, 
that  trembling  mother !  She  can  not  think  of  the 
myriad  forms  of  bug,  and  worm,  of  fly,  and  seed  ; 
she  can  not  remember  where  countless  insects  lie  in 
hordes  to  feed  her  gaping  babes.  The  fruitfulness 
of  a  fecundant  earth  does  not  rise  up  before  her 
vision,  nor  does  she  know  tliat  every  leaf  is  the 
abounding  platter  from  which  her  young  may  be 
fed  ;  that  every  root,  and  herb,  and  unturned  pebble 
has  yet  its  secret  store,  which  she  may  search  in 
boundless  confidence. 

Yes,  the  little  bird-babies  are  god- mothered  by 


OP     BIRDS. 


143 


THE   BIRD   AND   THE  BUG. 


144 

the  benevolent  earth  without  their  knowing  why,  or 
how.  They  are  her  changelings  of  merriment,  and 
therefore  she  can  not  let  them  die.  They  are  to  be- 
come in  their  full  time  the  prodigal  licentiates  of 
jollity,  and  how  could  she  be  cruel  to  them  ? 

She  bears  sadness  enough  in  her  bosom  at  any 
rate,  and  therefore  can  not  dispense  with  these  her 
professional  merry-makers.  She  would  be  very 
sombre  indeed,  would  mother  Earth,  crooning  away 
upon  her  tired  axle,  if  she  did  not  hear  these  joyful 
noises,  and  foci  that,  at  least,  there  was  something 
upon  her  bosom  happier  than  her  poor  children  of 
mankind.  If  everything  upon  her  bosom  were  com- 
pelled to  toil  and  suffer,  our  good  mother  would 
grow  mophdi  on  her  planetary  round,  and  think  of 
her  orbed  sisters  but  as  cold  and  distant  friends. 

What  a  murky  time  there  would  be  for  us  all,  in- 
deed, but  for  birds  and  children.  Where  would  be 
the  reckless  gift  of  ''jollity,''  of  gab,  and  mocking, 
which  cause  the  meagrims  to  go  away,  and  the  fat  to 
grow  apace  upon  the  ribbed  and  lanky  frame  of 
melancholy  ?  He  who  has  not  found  himself  over- 
taken with  mirth — aye,  aye,  even  shouting  with  the 
sudden  laughter  amidst  the  silence — at  the  antics  of 
the  bird  and  child,  must  be  habitually  sunken  to  the 
very  chin  in  the  Slough  of  Despond.  Why,  a  bilious 
monster  such  as  this,  could  never  have  fed  on  caper- 
sauce,  i'sootli !  Why,  the  very  wag  of  a  youug  bird's 
stumpy  tail — not  to  speak  of  the  clapping  of  child- 
ren's hands — should  have  been  sufficient  to  make  the 


OF     BIRDS.  145 

tub  of  Diogenes  roll,  clittering  with  tlio  pearly 
click  of  a  low  laughter. 

Did  you  ever  see  a  young  bird  attack  its  first 
bug  ?  Well,  now,  you  have  got  something  to  learn 
and  to  know  of  fun  in  the  world,  till  you  have  seen 
that  sight !  He  first  gets  behind  his  mother  to  peep 
at  the  black,  many-legged,  and  crawling  monster, 
from  beneath  her  tail.  She  picks  it  up  and  gives  it 
a  toss  against  the  ground,  with  a  nonchalant  air  to 
give  him  confidence.  But  no,  the  little  staring  wise- 
acre is  not  to  be  taken  in.  That  thing  looks  too 
begrimed  and  ugly,  not  to  be  wicked,  he's  certain. 
So  he  stands  on  tiptoe,  and  stretches  his  half-bare 
neck,  hugs  his  meagre  feathers  to  his  side,  till  he 
looks  as  if  he  could  slide  through  the  eye  of  a  needle, 
spreads  his  stumpy  tail,  and  with  head  awry,  and 
eye  wide-spread,  inspects  the  monster  with  a  serene 
caution,  from  a  distance.  The  impatient  mother 
gives  it  another  toss,  and  this  time  throws  it  fiercely 
against  the  ground.  Our  little  hero  begins  to  think 
that  looks  like  fun,  and  so  he  stoutly  dashes  at  the 
foe.  But  when  he  feels  the  writhing  of  its  shell- 
like leg  against  his  bill,  he  dashes  it  from  him  as  if 
it  had  been  a  live  coal,  and  makes  a  pretty,  flitting 
leap  into  the  air. 

Poor  bug !  he  kicks  and  writhes  upon  his  back, 
and  birdie,  crouched  behind  liis  mother,  stretches 
his  nock  to  an  unreasonable  length,  and  stares. 

The  impatient  mother  now  gives  the  bug  a  good 
pounding,  until  she  breaks  its  shell-casing  against  a 


146 


MERRY'S     BOOK 


pebble  or  a  root,  and  it  lies  with  gossamer  wings 
protruding  from  the  clefts,  all  stark  and  stiff  be- 
neath her  feet.  Now  youngling  becomes  suddenly 
courageous,  he  marches  towards  the  bug  with  slow, 
progressive  hops  ;  when,  in  its  dying  throes,  one  leg 


is  stretched  out,  quivering.  Away  Sir  Yaliant  hops, 
with  a  sharp  chirp  of  affright!  and  grows  longer 
and  spialler  still  with  this  stretched  compression  of 
his  cautious  fright. 

The  mother  gazes  on  him  with  a  cool,  dissatisfied 
air,  and  suddenly  plumes  her  wing  as  if  the  scene 


OF     BIRDS.  147 

had  now  become  indifferent  to  her.  Now's  your 
time,  Master  Valiant  I  and  with  many  a  sideling 
hop,  round,  round  he  goes,  inspecting.  Ha !  with 
one  sudden  spring  he  has  achieved  that  quivering 
leg  that  frightened  him  !  See  him  fiercely  brandish 
it  in  ecstacy  of  alimentive  rage,  now  against  the 
yielding  sod,  now  against  dead  loose  twigs,  then 
against  the  unyielding  roots  of  the  stalwart  oak 
above  him  ! 

What  a  fury  the  little  hero  is  in.  It  is  liis  first 
conquest,  that  of  a  leg  !  Heaven  knows  Avlicre  his 
rioting  excess  of  victorious  impulse  now  will  pause  ! 
His  mother  looks  provokingly  cool  and  indifferent, 
as  she  continues  industriously  to  trim  her  feathers, 
but  watches  him  out  of  the  corners  of  her  sly,  still 
peepers. 

He  has  swallowed  the  leg  !  My  !  how  pround  he 
looks  I  How  he  ruffles  the  feathers  along  his  tliroat 
— he  has  grown  to  be  a  man  in  a  minute !  Afraid 
of  bugs  ? — not  he  I — he  could  swallow  a  dozen  of 
them  in  a  minute  ! — a  hundred  of  them ! — a  world 
full  of  bugs  I  Down  goes  the  poor  defunct  I  You 
step  aside  Mr.  Oak,  or  the  proud  flirt  of  that  little 
tail  will  brush  you  down  ! 

Well,  you  may  think  this  is  all  romance,  but  we 
tell  you  it's  a  fact.  Many  a  similar  scene  have  we 
witnessed,  crouched  behind  an  old  log  ;  or  sitting 
still  as  the  mossy  trunk  against  which  we  leaned, 
within  the  wood  deptlis.  Now,  let  us  tell  you  a 
good  story,  which  is  all  the  better  for  being  real. 


148 


il  E  R  R  Y     S      B  0  0  K 


THE   BIRD'S   NEST. 

rp.HF.RE  is  a  way  of  knowing  all  about  bird's  nests 
±  for  miles  around.  These  localities  are  a  kind 
of  instinct  with  us,  and  we  can  tell  where  there  is, 
or  ought  to  be  one,  a  hundred  yards  off,  long  before 
the  little  grassy  tuft  becomes  apparent.  And  out 
of  our  experience,  we  can  tell  you,  by  way  of  pre- 
liminary, that  the  world  is  by  no  means  an  unmiti- 
gated paradise  to  bird>:,  either.     For,  last  spring. 


OF     BIRDS.  149 

WG  UoCd  to  know  of  more  than  fifty  nests  which  we 
used  to  take  a  cautious  peep  into,  once  a  day,  for  we 
never  ventured  to  touch  them. 

Suddenly,  to  our  great  consternation,  we  perceived 
that  nest  after  nest  had  been  robbed  !  And  many  a 
lovely  dream  of  pleasant  play-fellows  was  dissipated 
in  rapid  succession.  AVe  were  sadly  bewildered  for 
the  cause,  and  finally  came  to  the  conclusion  that  all 
the  bad  and  vagabond  darkies  of  the  .neighborhood 
must  be  dogging  our  steps,  and,  watching  us  when 
we  peeped  in  at  our  dainty  treasures,  came  immedi- 
ately when  we  disappeared,  and  carried  them  off. 

At  last  the  sidelong  appearance  of  the  nests,  thus 
robbed,  attracted  our  attention.  We  began  to  won- 
der why  it  should  bo,  in  all  cases,  that  the  robber 
should  tip  the  nest.  And  then  there  were  no  tracks 
of  human  feet  about.  At  length  we  found  a  nest, 
with  a  clear  round  hole  through  the  bottom  of  it, 
and  the  eg*s  all  abstracted  ;  and  we  forthwith  swore 
vengeance  against  all  snakes. 

The  next  day  we  marched  forth  with  gun  in  hand, 
and  the  painful  cries  of  a  pair  of  sparrows,  whose 
secrets  we  knew,  attracted  our  attention,  and  we 
went  fortliwith  to  ascertain  the  cause  of  their  troub- 
les. As  we  approached  the  nest,  we  saw  a  huge 
black  snake,  glide  glistening  away  in  the  clear 
morning  sunlight.  The  thieving  scamp,  when  he 
saw  us  approaching,  reared  his  head  aloft  for  battle  ; 
but  in  a  twinkling  it  was  taken  clean  off  with  a  rifle 
bullet — and  then  the  poor  brooding  birds  of  all  the 


150 

neighborhood  had  a  temporary  "  surcease  of  sor- 
row." 

Well,  we  had  been  watching  for  weeks,  the  doings 
of  a  splendid  pair  of  cardinal  grossbeaks,  or  Virginia 
red-birds.  Their  family  arrangements  had  '-^een 
twice  broken  up  by  his  snakeship  ;  and  now  the  gay 
attire  and  clarion  note  of  the  flashing  male  bird, 
soon  betrayed  to  us  the  site  of  their  third  house. 

We  found  it  m  a  little  arbor  of  wild  grape-vines, 
in  which  we  had  said  prophetically,  early  in  the 
spring,  "some  bird  will  be  sure  to  build."  Wo 
watched  the  cosy  pair  daily  from  a  distance,  and 
counted  the  hours,  until  we  were  sure  the  vouno- 
ones  must  be  fledged. 

The  day  on  which  the  time  was  up  found  us  peer- 
ing curiously  into  the  grape-vine.  But  the  old  birds 
had  almost  been  too  sharp  for  us.  On  that  very 
morning,  two  of  the  young  had  been  coaxed  entirely 
away  from  the  nest,  and  the  other  perched  cosily 
among  the  broad  foliage  of  the  vine.  The  gentleman 
of  the  Tine  looked  as  wise  as  Minerva's  owl,  and  we 
are  impressed  with  the  belief  that  he  really  was  ;  for, 
instead  of  attempting  to  get  away,  he  stepped  gin- 
gerly upon  our  wife's  dainty  finger,  and  crouched 
himself  down  upon  it  to  get  warm. 

We  liked  this  for  a  philosophical  beginning  of  an 
intimacy,  and  "  Captain  Red,"  as  he  was  forthwith 
christened,  became  at  once  a  "  high  particular." 
The  other  young  one,  which  was  a  female,  and  the 
weakest   in   the   nest,  soon   died.      But   "  Captain 


OP     BIRDS.  151 

Red"  flourished  apace,  and  soon  became  quite  as 
much  a  gentleman  of  estate,  as  ever  poor  artist  or 
naturalist  could  be  ! 

He  peered  into  all  our  correspondence,  and  picked 
at  the  letters  of  our  MS.  until  we  are  convinced  that 
he  became  quite  as  conversant  with  our  affairs  as 
we  were  ourselves.  We  are  quite  positive  that  this 
gentleman  of  the  top-knot  was,  and  is,  quite  as  wise 
as  anybody  of  his  day  and  generation. 

Now,  we  will  tell  you  why.  All  that  part  of  the 
world,  which  is  wise  and  good,  does  its  thinking 
through  the  heart ;  and  so  did  "  Capain  Red,"  as 
you  will  see  from  our  narrative. 

We  took  up  a  strange  passion  for  the  little  wood- 
wren,  which  is  found  all  through  the  West,  with  Lis 
nut-brown  and  black-barred  mantle,  and  white  streak 
above  his  eyes.  He  is  the  most  incorrigible  music- 
box  in  existence.  He  sings  always.  Frost  and 
snow  have  no  power  to  chill  the  warm  pulsation  of 
his  little  organ  ;  and,  sunshine  in,  or  sunshine  out, 
he  persistently  shrills  a  clear  accordance,  that  defies 
all  thought  of  despondency  or  grief.  His  liquid 
pipe,  rollics  and  rings  among  the  bare  trunks  of 
winter,  defying  its  discords,  as  well  as  melts  in 
shrilly  clamors  with  the  breezy  flush  of  spring. 

It  is,  in  a  word,  one  of  the  most  charming  and 
indefatigable  songsters  we  have  in  America,  and  the 
quaintest  citizen  of  the  peopled  woods  withal.  He 
has  a  remarkably  cunning  way  of  hiding  his  nest, 


152 

too,  in  old  hollow  trees  and  stumps,  and  in  decaying 
logs,  in  odd  fence-corners,  and  perforated  eaves. 

Well,  with  all  its  cunning,  we  managed,  after 
long  and  patient  watching,  to  find  a  nest  of  these 
young  gentry,  just  in  their  fledging  time.  They  arc 
very  rebellious  little  scamps,  and  we  got  them  home, 
with  much  trouble  at  first,  and  placed  them  in  the 
house  of  "  Captain  Red,"  and  oh,  it  would  have  done 
you  good  to  see  how  promptly  our  quaint  philoso- 
pher, though  only  six  weeks  old  himself,  took  up  the 
cause  of  these  transplanted  little  ones  ! 

He  at  once  assumed  the  airs  of  maternity,  frater- 
nity rather,  and  seemed  to  be  immensely  puzzled  and 
vexed,  that  the  little  obstinate  wretches  would  not 
eat  seeds,  which  seemed  to  him  to  be  the  natural 
food  of  all  birds.  After  trying  for  several  hours  to 
make  them  eat  the  seeds,  which  he  so  carefully  mas- 
ticated for  them  in  advance,  and  stuffed  into  their 
gaping  mouths,  only  to  see  it  rejected  with  a  toss  of 
contempt,  he  seemed  to  come  to  the  conclusion,  tliat 
they  were  nothing  but  heathen,  anyhow  ;  and  seeing 
that  we  fed  them  with  worms,  which  he  did  not  eat, 
he  came  to  the  conclusion,  that  they  must  live  any- 
how ;  and  he  therefore  masticated  for  them  most 
daintily  the  repulsive  things  !  which  he  fed  to  them 
with  an  air  of  disgusted  resignation,  which  was 
absolutely  irresistible. 

Many  a  shout  of  laughter  have  we  indulged  in,  in 
watching  the  resigned  air  with  which  the  philan- 
thropic little  fellow  would  cram  their  throats  with 


OF     BIRDS.  153 

the  nauseous  food.  Yet  he  wore  all  the  time  an 
amusingly  hopeful  air,  as  if  he  expected  gradually 
to  reform  the  little  barbarians,  and  teach  them  that 
seed  constituted  the  only  legitimate  food  for  civil- 
ized birds. 

To  our  no  little  sorrow,  our  friend  "  Captain 
Red  "  succeeded.  The  little  fellows  came  to  be 
convicted  that  they  really  were  barbarians !  And 
the  imitative  scamps  soon  took  to  the  use  of  seeds  as 
the  staple  of  life  I  So  they  commenced  eating  food 
which  tliey  had  neither  bills  formed  to  crack,  nor 
stomachs  formed  to  digest.  We  tried  in  vain  to 
prevent  this,  but  "  Captain  Red  "  resented  it  as  an 
interference  with  his  prerogative,  and  continued  to 
stuff  them  until  all  our  interesting  little  pets  died  of 
indigestion,  and  we  found  their  craws  filled  with 
unbroken  seeds. 


154 


merry's    book 


THE   TURKEY    CHASE. 

ARLY  in  the  spring,  we 
left  the  city,  and  went  to 
live  on  a  farm.  The  first 
time  we  visited  the  old 
people  who  owned  the 
place,  was  on  the  most 
dismal  day  you  can  imag- 
ine. We  started  to  walk 
over   from   the   residence 

of  Mrs.  E ,  but  before 

we  had  walked  half  the 
distance  we  became  so  numbed  from  cold,  that  we 
finally  stopped  in  the  woods,  and  built  a  little  fire 
of  the  dead  twigs  and  leaves,  to  warm  our  feet. 
Ough !  how  the  wind  blew  I  How  chill  the  half 
foggy  half  rainy  air  seemed,  and  as  we  climbed  the 
steep  hill  sides,  we  had  to  cling  to  each  other,  to 
keep  old  Boreas  from  fairly  whirling  us  away  in  his 
brawny  arms.  The  trees  cracked  as  they  bent, 
groaning  beneath  the  wind,  and  the  dead  leaves 
danced  frantically,  high  and  low,  in  circles,  and  in 
sudden  dartings  forward  in  straight  lines,  now  seek- 
ing shelter  in  crevices  of  gray  rocks,  or  hollows  of 
dead  trees.  But  in  vain,  for  the  ruthless  wind  fol- 
lowed and  drove  them  forth  again,  until  perhaps 
they  sank  into  the  half-frozen  pond  in  the  valley. 

But  we  had  determined  to  overcome  all  diflficulties, 
and  battling  with  cold,  wind,  and  damp  ground,  we 


OF     BIRDS.  155 

finally  reached  Mr.  R 's  residence,  and,  not  find- 
ing a  gate,  commenced  climbing  the  fence.  At  that 
moment  a  mulatto  woman  came  out  of  a  cabin  in  the 
yard  ;  merely  glancing  at  us,  she  proceeded  to  hang 
up  some  wet  clothes,  which  she  took  from  a  basket, 
upon  the  line. 

"  Hallo  !  is  your  mistress  at  home  ?"  said   Mr. 

W .    But  the  girl  appeared  not  to  observe  that 

she  was  spoken  to. 

"  She  must  be  deaf,"  said  C . 

By  the  time  we  had  reached  the  ground  on  her 
side  of  the  fence,  however,  the  girl  came  hastily  for- 
ward, and  with  her  chin  stretched  out,  and  her  ear  a 
little  inclined  towards  him,  said  to  Mr.  W . 

"  My  ole  Miss  gone  visitin',  but  ole  Massa  at  home, 
sir.  Go  right  in  that  way,''  pointing  towards  a  door 
at  one  end  of  the  house. 

The  house  was  a  large  one,  and  quite  new.  In- 
deed it  had  been  so  lately  furnished  that  the  old 
people  were  scarcely  settled  in  it  yet ;  and  so  fine  a 
house  was  it,  that  all  the  neighbors  were  saying, 
"  What  in  the  world  can  those  old  people  want  of 
such  a  great  house,  at  their  age  ?  Why,  they  will 
scarcely  live  long  enough  to  get  settled  in  it  I  If 
they  had  children,  one  could  understand  it.  But 
they  have  nobody  to  care  for,  but  their  negroes  I 
How  strange  1" 

Well,  well,  we  had  been  told  to  go  into  the  door 
at  the  end  of  the  house  ;  in  the  meantime,  the  girl, 
or  "  Pop  "  as  the  old  man  called  her,  had  given  him 


156 

warning  that  "  folks  eominV'  and  lie  met  us  at  the 
door.  We  were  soon  rapidly  thawing  before  a 
large  wood  fire,  and  while  the  old  gentleman  was 
hurrying  about,  getting  us  something  warm  to  eat 
and  drink — as  the  fashion  is  in  Kentucky — we  told 
him  our  errand. 

As  soon  as  we  had  lunched,  we  were  shown  over 
the  house.  The  old  gentleman,  evidently  very  much 
gratified  at  o>ir  admiration  of  it;  said  he  had  no 
doubt  but  that  his  "  old  woman  "  would  like  to  have 
us  come,  and  advised  us  to  select  the  room  we  liked 
best,  promising  to  let  us  know  the  old  lady's  mind 
on  the  subject  next  day.  Accordingly  a  room  with 
three"  large  French  windows  was  chosen.  Looking 
from  the  south  window,  we  had  a  broad  stretch  of 
green  fields,  dotted,  away  yonder,  with  farm  houses. 
From  the  east,  the  lane  stretching  from  the  front 
yard  down  to  the  wood  which  bordered  the  farm, 
in  nearly  every  direction.  West,  more  woodland, 
and  the  cabins  of  the  negroes  ;  a  portico,  in  front, 
completed  the  attractions,  except  the  two  fine  locust 
trees  under  the  south  window. 

The,  old  lady's  consent  was  quickly  given,  when 
she  discovered  that  I  liked  chickens  and  young 
turkeys,  and  we  were  soon  installed  in  our  new 
quarters. 

The  peculiarity  which  first  struck  us  in  our  new 
location  was  the  crowing,  cackling,  and  gobbling  of 
the  most  astonishing  number  of  fowls  we  had  ever 
seen  collected  before.     It  wa?  positively  wondei'fu], 


OF     BIRDS. 


15T 


the  clatter  tlie  cocks  made  every  iiiglit  at  twelve 
o'clock,  and  in  the  morning  at  day-break ;  we  really 
could  scarcely  sleep  for  them  at  first,  and  although 
the  old  lady  had  some  three  hundred  hens  on  the 
place,  it  was  the  most  amusing  thing  to  find  that  she 
never  sold  either  eggs  or  chickens,  but  kept  them 
all,  through  the  sheer  love  of  such  pets. 

Another  amusing  thing  was  to  observe  the  old 
lady,  with  the  consternation  of  a  veritable  old  hen, 


THE    CHASE. 


158  merry's    book 

herself,  rushing  hither  and  thither  about  the  yard, 
followed  by  her  train  of  little  "  darkies,"  to  collect 
her  forty  or  fifty  broods  of  chicks,  and  house  them 
all  before  a  threatened  rain.  Many  a  time  have  we 
stood  at  the  window,  laughing  heartily  to  see  the 
sturdy  old  dame,  in  her  dire  tribulation,  with  the 
mingled  rai^i  and  perspiration  pouring  from  her 
wrinkled  cheeks,  rushing  up  and  down,  screaming  to 
her  worthless  "  darkies,"  and  frightening  the  poor 
old  hens,  with  their  clittering  broods,  almost  to 
death,  in  her  eagerness  to  save  them  from  the 
weather. 

Such  a  busy  time  as  there  was  on  these  occasions  I 
What  between  the  violent  clucking  of  the  old  hens, 
an  occasional  battle  between  them  and  their  over 
anxious  mistress,  the  cries  of  the  young  ones,  the 
universal  crowing  of  the  cocks,  the  cranking  of  the 
great  flock  of  geese,  the  phut,  phut,  of  the  astonished 
turkeys,  the  squeaking  of  the  dismayed  pigs,  the 
bleating  of  the  sheep  and  calves,  the  neighing  of  the 
horses,  and  the  hisses  of  the  old  drakes,  the  vocifer- 
ous screamings  of  the  blind  old  grandmother  negro, 
hurrying  up  the  indolent  young  ones  to  the  assist- 
ance of  their  mistress,  the  mournful  bowlings  of  the 
dogs,  who  always  joined  their  voices  in  any  general 
clamor,  and  we  have  a  time  worth  being  witnessed 
by  any  children  brought  up  in  cities. 

There  were  other  funny  things  which  caused  us 
great  amusement  too.  We  sat  up  very  late  one 
night  engap-ed  in  writing,  when  the  air  of  the  room 


OF     BIRDS.  159 

become  oppressive,  the  window,  before  which  our 
Lamp  was  burning,  was  thrown  open,  and  it  hap- 
pened to  be  on  the  side  west  the  barnyard.  In- 
stantly there  was  a  general  burst  of  crowing,  from 
the  throat  of  every  chanticleer  oa  tie  place.  The 
effect  was  quite  astounding  ;  at  first  it  was  impossi- 
ble for  us  to  conceive  "  what  could,  the  matter  be," 
and  looking  at  the  time,  we  found  it  was  not  near 
twelve  o'clock,  and  as  all  the  geese,  and  turkeys, 
too,  on  the  place,  joined  the  general  hubbub,  we 
could  only  conclude,  after  listening  quite  puzzled 
for  awhile,  that  all  the  multitude  of  feathered 
people  on  the  place  had  mistaken  the  light  of  our 
lamp  through  the  window,  for  that  of  the  breaking 
day.  We  afterwards  amused  ourselves  by  repeating 
the  experiment,  and  after  obtaining  several  hearty 
laughs  at  the  expense  of  their  simplicity,  we  found 
that  if  they  did  wear  feathers,  they  were  not  to  be 
fooled  too  often,  for  they  soon  ceased  to  crow  at  the 
sight  of  the  light. 

Another  very  curious  fact,  which  we  observed  in 
relation  to  the  habits  of  domestic  fowls,  was  that 
the  flock  of  geese  were  perpetually  walking  round 
and  round  the  house,  in  single  file,  the  live-long 
night,  until  twelve  o'clock.  Look  out  what  time 
you  might,  from  the  window  into  the  dark,  we  could 
see  the  head  of  the  single  file  of  white  forms  make 
its  appearance  round  the  corner  of  the  house,  and 
on  they  would  stream,  in  dead  silence,  like  a  funeral 
procession  of  white  ghosts,  or  head-stones  that  had 


160  merry's     BOOK 

taken  to  gadding.     As  tliey  never  uttered  a  single 

30und,  and  as  you  could  not  even  bear  the  pattering 

f  their  soft  splay  feet  upon  the  grass,  the  effect 

rough  the  dim  shades  of  the  night  was  extremely 
'    aint. 

During  the  whole  time  of  our  stay,  this  thing  was 
repeated  every  night ;  and  you  may  imagine  how 
curious  it  was  to  watch  the  procession  regularly  at 
the  instant  when  the  cocks  crew  for  midnight, 
gravely  squat  themselves  on  one  particular  spot,  and 
remain  there  till  daylight,  silent  and  motionless  as 
death. 

This  habit  of  domestic  geese  affords  quite  a  re- 
markable example  of  tenacity  with  which  the  usages 
of  the  wild  varieties  from  which  they  are  originally 
descended,  are  retained  even  after  many  centuries 
of  domestication.  It  is  well  known  to  all  observers 
of  their  habits,  that  the  wild  geese  on  their  migra- 
tions, fly  until  twelve  o'clock  at  night,  and  then 
descend  to  rest  and  sleep  until  morning.  They  are 
found  at  daybreak  alighted  and  feeding  on  the  fields 
over  which  they  have  been  flying.  Even  when  not 
migrating,  they  are  known  to  be  feeding  busily  until 
midnight,  from  which  time  they  sleep. 

It  is  a  fact,  we  believe  not  to  have  been  as  yet 
commented  upon  in  books  of  natural  history,  that  all 
domestic  creatures,  which  are  descended  from  the 
migratory  tribes,  exhibit  invariably  an  extraordinary 
restlessness  when  the  period  has  arrived  at  which 
their  wild   kinsmen  migrate.     We  will    give  you 


OP     BIRDS.  161 

several  other  curious  illustrations  of  this  fact,  in 
our  succeeding  stories,  concerning  the  habits  of  our 
pet  birds. 

But  before  we  dismiss  this  account  of  the  habits 
of  domestic  birds,  it  may  be  as  well  to  relate  to  you 
a  most  affecting  and  interesting  incident,  which  we 
witnessed  in  the  habits  of  the  domestic  turkey. 

It  may  not  be  familiar  to  all  our  little  readers, 
that  those  persons  who  are  in  the  habit  of  raising 
fowls,  who  are  most  successful,  are  accustomed  to 
rotice,  with  great  care,  the  habits  of  the  hens  of  the 
dihcrcnt  breeds.  Those  which  prove  themselves  the 
most  motherly  and  careful,  are  quickly  selected  out, 
and  the  eggs  of  all  the  careless  mothers,  as  well  as 
their  own,  placed  under  them  to  hatch.  Because, 
you  may  rest  assured,  there  is  just  as  much  differ- 
ence between  the  hen-mothers,  as  between  the  human- 
mothers  in  this  respect. 

So  that  on  one  occasion,  while  visiting  our  sister 
in  south  Kentucky,  we  found  one  of  these  motherly 
tnrkey  mother-hens,  at  tlic  head  of  a  brood  of  about 
thirty  young,  who  had  by  tliis  time  grown  up  to  be 
quite  as  larg^e  as  their  mother,  and  quite  fit  for  the 
table.  So  one  night,  our  sister  ordered  the  old 
black  cook  to  select  from  the  roosting  places  of  the 
flock,  a  fine  fat  young  gobbler,  and  despatch  him,  on 
the  occasion  of  a  grand  dinner  we  were  to  have  on 
the  next  day. 

The  cruel  old  cook  performed  her  task,  as  many 
negroes  do,  without  caring  whether  she  was  right  or 


162 

wrong.  The  next  morning,  to  our  inconceivable 
astonishment,  the  whole  twenty-nine  remaining 
turkeys,  old  gobbler  and  all,  came  under  the  low 
window  of  our  sister's  sitting-room,  and  as  long  as 
they  could  see  any  member  of  the  family  through  it, 
kept  up  such  a  clatter  of  clucking  and  plaintive 
cries,  as  were  probably  never  heard  before,  from  the 
same  number  of  turkeys.  It  was  a  most  singular 
scene  indeed.  They  were  gathered  together  in  a 
cluster,  marching  back  and  forth,  passing  and  re- 
passing each  other,  the  females  uttering  the  most 
plaintive  cries,  while  the  males,  sometimes  joining 
them  in  their  clattering  cluck,  would  then  suddenly 
droop  their  wings,  and  with  fiery  heads  and  hanging 
wattles,  utter  a  simultaneous  shout  of  angry  gob- 
bling, such  as  was  almost  defeaning. 

The  moment  they  would  lose  sight  of  the  members 
of  the  family  through  the  window,  they  would  set 
off  round  the  house,  in  procession,  and  the  moment 
they  saw  any  one,  such  a  gobbling,  gobbling  yell, 
(ind  clutter  I  This  seemed  the  more  astonishing,  as 
this  same  flock  of  turkeys  had  never  been  known  to 
remain  near  the  house  before  as  late  as  sunrise,  but 
were  generally,  by  that  time,  a  mile  off  foraging 
through  the  meadows,  for  grasshoppers  and  crick 
ets. 

We  immediately  suspected  that  there  must  bo 
something  wrong  ;  there  was  an  expression  of  re- 
proach, so  unmistakable,  in  the  cries  of  the  poor 
creatures,  and  something  so  unaccountable  in  their 


OP     BIRDS..  163 

conduct,  for  tliey  literally  besieged  the  doors  and 
windows  and  seemed  with  their  timid,  yet  despair- 
ing looks,  to  be  pleading  with  us  for  some  pt-ecious 
soul,  or  life. 

This  scene  had  been  kept  up  for  several  hours, 
and  had  become  so  painful  to  us  all,  at  last,  that  we 
determined  to  ascertain  the  cause,  if  possible.  We 
went  out  into  the  kitchen,  and  asked  to  see  the 
turkey  that  had  been  killed  over  night,  when  we 
found  to  our  infinite  sorrow  and  pain,  that  the  cruel 
old  cook,  had  carelessly  chopped  off  the  head  of  the 
Mother  of  this  flock,  instead  of  doing,  as  she  had 
been  directed. 

We  never  were  more  pained  by  any  similar  inci- 
dent. Poor  creatures,  their  plaintive  and  persist- 
ent cries,  were  now  explained.  They  had  lost 
their  good  mother !  She  by  whom  they  had  always 
been  led,  "  through  the  green  meadows,  by  the  cool 
waters."  Ah,  you  may  rest  assured,  that  there 
were  at  least  two  pair  of  eyes,  that  were  not  very 
dry  when  we  made  this  sad  discovery !  And  you 
may  rest  assured,  that  not  one  mouthful  of  that 
turkey  did  we  touch,  during  that  great  dinner. 

There  was  something  terribly  human  in  the  re- 
proachful entreaties,  with  which  they  continued  to 
assail  even  the  dinner  hour  for  the  rescue  of  their 
mother,  so  much  so,  indeed,  that  the  turkey  was  not 
touched.  No  one  could  find  it  in  his  heart  to  eat  it 
— and  '*  little  Nannie  "  cried  at  its  being  brought  on 
to  the  table  even.     Ah,  it  makes  one  sad  indeed  to 


164 

think  how  much  of  cruelty  is  committed  in  the 
world,  by  mistake  or  carelessness,  even  when  not 
intended  ! 

But  we  will  return  to  the  farm  again.  In  all 
probability  we  shall  meet  the  old  lady  as  we  climb 
the  steep  hill  sides.  For  at  least  once  every  day, 
she  takes  a  stick  in  her  hand,  ties  her  linen  kerchief 
over  her  cap,  and  in  her  thick  carpet-shoes,  tramps 
down  the  lane  to  the  cliffs.  For  what  think  you  ? 
Why,  those  troublesome  turkeys  of  hers  will  build 
their  nest  in  the  crevices  of  the  rocks.  They  prefer 
the  shady  nooks  and  corners,  they  find  there,  to  the 
snug  barrels  and  little  houses,  which  the  old  lady  is 
always  preparing  for  them,  up  at  the  roosting  place. 
It  was  very  droll  to  watch  the  cautious  movements 
of  tlie  mistress,  as  she  approached  a  group  composed 
of  one  bedraggled  hen,  attended  by  two  or  three 
lordly  gobblers.  Each  of  the  parlies  watching 
jealously  the  slightest  movements  of  the  others.  The 
hen,  who  has  a  fine  nest  in  a  well-hidden  spot,  yon- 
der among  the  rocks,  walks  slowly  and  with  an  in- 
different air,  to  all  appearance,  here  and  there,  and 
picking  daintily  at  this,  or  that,  but  always  with 
her  eyes  looking  askance  for  an  opportunity  to  run  ! 
At  the  moment  she  fancies  she  can  escape,  see  what 
a  sudden  bustle  I  A  moment  before  those  turkey 
gobblers  were  strutting  before  her,  their  heads 
furiously  red,  their  wattles  blazing  like  rainbows, 
their  wings  stiffened  and  scraping  the  ground,  their 
tails  trailing,  their  eyes  glancing  upward,  and  their 


OF      IM  T7  D  S  .  165 

whole  air,  that  of  the  most  absolute,  self-congratula- 
tion ! 

Madame,  tlie  sly  lien,  suddenly  darts  off,  her  head 
lowered,  her  body  pinched  in,  as  if  she  would  make 
her  progress  more  rapid  by  offering  less  surface  to 
the  atmosphere.  The  gallants  stand  a  moment,  as- 
tonished !  then,  all  at  once,  with  wings  furled,  tails 
lifted,  heads  suddenly  diminished,  and  with  gobble  I 
gobble  !  of  displeasure,  pell  mell,  after  the  wilful 
lady.  What  does  she  mean  ?  does  she  wish  to  de- 
prive lierself  their  worshipful  company  ?  ungrateful  I 
But  she  pauses  again,  and  with  an  expression,  which 
is  as  plain  as  words  could  be,  says  to  them,  "  What's 
the  matter  with  you  all  ?"  and  begins  to  pick  and 
watch  again,  wliile  they,  seeming  to  fancy  that  they 
have  been  unnecessarily  alarmed,  display  new 
graces  to  enchant  her.  The  old  lady  gravely  re- 
sumes her  hiding  place  behind  a  tree — from  which 
sliG  too  had  darted,  when  the  panic  was  at  the  high- 
est— and  waits  with  the  most  suprising  patience  on 
the  tactics  of  the  hen. 

Sometimes  she  waits  for  hours  before  the  hen  can 
escape  her  admirers,  and  stealthily  reach  her  nest. 
When  at  last  her  patience  is  rewarded,  she  follows 
to  the  nest,  seizes  the  tenant  by  the  legs,  bears  her 
in  triumph  to  the  nest  she  has  prepared  for  her,  and 
comes  panting  in  to  the  house  to  report  the  trials  she 
has  encountered.  Towards  sundown,  a  new  expedi- 
tion was  generally  on  hand.  The  young  turkeys  had 
been  led  off  l)y  their  mother  to  the  wheat  field,  and 


■« 


166 

'"  dear  me  !  Liza !  Mary  !  come  here,  you  lazy  cliild- 
ren,  and  help  me  drive  up  those  young  turkeys !"  was 
the  cry,  and  then,  such  trials  !  all  over  the  great 
field,  with  its  heavy  grain  obstructing  every  step, 
would  the  old  lady  trudge  while  "  Liza  and  Mary," 
would  sit  down  behind  the  fence,  on  the  grain  to  rest, 
laughing  because  they  were  playing,  while  the  old 
<'  misses  "  was  plodding  tediously  and  patiently 
around  the  field. 

Her  treasures  all  housed,  at  last,  the  old  lady 
would  seat  herself  before  the  fire,  and,  with  knitting 
in  hand,  repeat  to  us  the  many,  many  trials,  she  had 
had  that  eventful  day  with  her  chickens,  her  tur- 
keys, her  geese,  her  goslings,  and  last,  not  least, 
those  lazy  negroes,  who  had  given  her  more  trouble 
than  all  the  rest. 


OF     BIRDS. 


167 


STORY   OF   THE   THREE    GEESE. 


first  noticed  in 
the  great  flock,  that  went  trail- 
ing so  solemnly  round  and 
round  our  house,  every  night,  a  very 
handsome  female  ;  indeed,  by  far  the 
'VJ^_  handsomest  goose  of  them  all.  We 
had  observed  also,  that  while  nearly  all  the  other 
lady  geese  had  regularly  paired  off,  and  were  each 
accompanied  by  a  separate  lord,  this  handsome  one 
was  always  attended  by  two  gallants. 

As  geese  are  very  faithful  to  each  other  when 
they  are  paired,  we  were  not  a  little  surprised  at 
this,  especially  when  we  perceived  that  there  were 
several  females,  who  always  kept  together,  who  had 
no  mates  at  all.  In  a  short  time  the  handsome  lady 
went  to  setting  ;  and  as  she  was  the  first  of  the 
flock  who  did  so,  all  the  eggs  which  had  yet  been 
laid  were  placed  under  her. 

As  the  little  barrel-nest,  in  which  she  sat  brood- 
ing, lay  in  front  of  our  window,  we  had  constant 
opportunities  of  observing  her.     You  may  not  be 


168 

aware  that,  in  all  the  wild,  as  well  as  tame,  varie- 
ties of  this  bird,  when  tlie  female  commences  brood- 
ing, the  male  takes  up  his  station,  as  sentinel  on 
guard,  beside  her  nest,  which  he  never  leaves  beyond 
a  discreet  distance,  from  whence  the  spot  is  in  full 
view,  that  he  may  protect  her  in  her  interesting 
ofiice,  from  all  intrusive  foxes,  minks,  dogs,  cats,  or 
what  not,  that  may  approach  her. 

Swans  will  even  attack  men,  under  such  circum- 
stances, without  hesitation  ;  and  so  great  is  the 
courage  and  vigor  of  their  assaults,  that  they  have 
been  known  to  break  a  man's  arm,  short  off,  with  a 
single  blow  of  the  butt  or  shoulder  of  their  powerful 
wing. 

We  would  not,  therefore,  liave  been  surprised  to 
see  one  gander  on  duty,  at  his  post  of  guardiansln'p, 
but  we  must  confess  we  were  surprised  to  see  two. 
The  same  two  we  had  observed  escorting  her  about ; 
each  jealous  of  the  other,  but  equally  vigilant.  The 
largest  and  strongest  of  the  two  held  the  place  of 
honor,  close  by  her  side,  while  the  other  occupied  a 
position  some  three  feet  off.  He  never  attempted 
to  come  an  inch  nearer,  but  that  the  stronger  one 
instantly  assailed  him.  And  what  seemed  very 
curious,  although  this  constant  warfare  was,  and 
had  been  constantly,  going  on  between  these  rivals, 
when  any  intruder  approached  the  nest,  they  both 
charged  at  the  same  instant  upon  it,  and  together 
drove  it  off. 

It  was  very  quaint   to   watch    madame,   during 


OF     BIRDS.  169 

these  scenes  ;  with  what  a  demure  expression  she 
seemed  to  regard  the  joint  exertions  of  her  rival 
friends,  on  her  behalf.  She  looked  on  .with  such 
an  innocent  air  of  placid  sweetness,  that  it  was 
enough  to  make  a  frosty  Zeno  laugh.  What  could 
it  mean  1  It  was  clear  that  she  was  not  the  wife  of 
both  ! — for  neither  polygamy  nor  bigamy  is  practised 
among  these  tribes.  And  from  their  simple  and 
undeviating  faith,  in  ragard  to  their  connubial  rela- 
tion, mankind  might  take,  in  these  corrupt  days, 
from  the  "  silly  goose,"  a  most  important  lesson. 

What  then  could  it  mean  ?  Was  this  some  un- 
natural deviation  from  a  general  truth,  or  law  ? 
We  had  ascertained,  beyond  any  doubt,  that  this 
was  impossible.  We  will  see  if  we  cannot  satisfac- 
torily account  for  this  interesting  phenomenon. 

In  due  time,  madame,  "  the  beauty,"  hatched  out 
an  amazing  brood  of  little  goslings.  First  the  ad- 
miration and  wonder  of  her  two  friends  excited  our 
mirth  ;  but  afterwards,  when  the  whole  surprising 
miracle,  of  the  entire  new  battalion  of  little  furzy 
yellow  balls  went  rolling  and  staggering  about  the 
yard,  the  amazement  of  the  entire  flock  of  grown 
geese  was  too  absurdly  ludicrous  to  be  fitly  des- 
cribed. 

As  soon  as  the  announcement  of  the  new  arrival 
had  spread,  they  marched  up  to  the  scene,  in  pha- 
lanx, with  stately  waddling  gait,  their  necks  all 
slim  in  stretching  wonder,  their  reddish  goggle 
eyes   looking   as   if  tliey  would  burst  from   their 


170  merry's    book 

heads.  They  formed  in  a  circle,  at  a  respectful  dis- 
tance ;  for  when  one  of  the  little  strangers  would 
stagger  towards  them,  they  would  scatter  and  run 
with  an  expression  of  stolid  wonder,  that  would 
have  made  you  shake  your  sides  to  witness. 

We  do  wonder  what  they  thought  the  little  mon- 
sters were  ?  The  curiosity  remained  unabated 
several  days.  They  would  follow  them  about,  in 
procession,  wherever  they  went,  and  so  eager  did 
they  become  at  last,  to  examine  them  more  closely, 
that  the  two  champions  of  "  Lady-beauty  "  found 
great  ado  to  keep  them  at  a  respectful  distance,  and 
prevent  the  young  from  being  trampled  to  death, 
with  their  great,  splay,  awkward  feet.  The  third 
or  fourth  day,  the  general  flock  seemed  to  have  set- 
tled in  their  minds  what  these  little  strangers  were, 
and  they  accordingly  ceased  to  persecute  themwi*^^ 
their  curiosity. 


THE    THREE    GEESE 


OP     BIRDS.  171 

During  all  this  time,  it  was  interesting  and  even 
touching  to  observe  the  untiring  solicitude  of  "  Ladj 
beauty's "  conquered  suitor.  Now  we  could  see 
the  group  of  three — the  conquered  gander  holding 
always  the  same  relative  position  that  we  have  seen 
before.  He  never  came  any  nearer  the  female  than 
the  privileged  distance  of  three  feet,  off  to  one  side, 
and  a  little  in  tlie  rear,  always  keeping  a  vigilant 
look-out  lest  any  of  the  little  ones  should  fall  too 
far  behind — always  ready  to  hurry  it  along,  when 
its  tired  legs  sank  under  it,  and  the  panting  ball  of 
yellow  down  crouched  itself  in  the  crisp  grass  to 
rest.  Or  if,  in  its  ambitious  emulation,  it  rolled 
over,  in  the  attempt  to  pluck  a  blade  of  grass  too 
tough  for  his  soft  bill,  and  strength,  then  this  watch- 
ful gander  was  sure  to  be  near  to  lend  a  helping 
foot,  or  bill,  to  push  him  up  to  his  weak  feet 
again.  He  seemed  even  more  attentive  to  these 
babies,  than  his  favored  rival.  For  many  a  time, 
when  the  large  gander  unmercifully  walked  over 
them,  in  his  eargerness  to  march  side  by  side  with 
his  lady,  this  patient  fellow  would  stay  behind,  and, 
allay  the  panic.  Now  the  secret  of  all  this  is  so 
touching,  that  we  are  sure  that  no  little  one,  who 
reads  this  story  of  The  Three  Geese,  will  ever  be 
found  persecuting  or  throwing  stones  at  these  sim- 
ple creatures.  We  had  begun  to  suspect  what  the 
real  story  was,  and  after  prosecuting  the  most  vigil- 
ant inquiries  into  the  history  of  the  group,  found  out 
exactly  how  matters  were. 


172  merry's     BOOK 

It  seemed  that  "  Lady-beauty  "  and  the  hindmost 
gander  were  both  young  people,  and  at  pairing 
time,  this  young  gallant  made  violent  love  to  the 
recognized  beauty  of  the  flock.  But,  an  older  gan- 
der than  he — a  stronger — the  tyrannical  master  and 
leader  of  the  flock,  had  taken  a  fancy  to  her  also,  he 
having  lost  his  own  wife  by  some  accident. 

He  accordingly  laid  claim  to  her,  and  at  onco 
there  ensued  a  series  of  battles — of  which  their 
broken  feathers  still  showed  the  marks — between 
the  two,  which  at  length  became  so  desperate  that 
the  mistress  of  the  "  Famous  Farm  "  was  compelled 
to  separate  them  —  placing  one  in  confinement. 
When  he  was  released  the  battles  re-commenced, 
raging  with  even  greater  fury  than  before  ;  for  the 
younger,  though  worsted  in  each  contest  by  the 
superior  strength  of  his  rival,  still  continued  the 
conflict,  whenever  they  met  in  the  presence  of  the 
beauty  they  both  coveted. 

Things  continued  in  this  way  until  the  younger 
one  was  nearly  killed,  and  the  mistress  was  obliged 
to  confine  him  several  weeks.  When  released,  he 
found  his  rival  fairly  paired  to  the  "  beauty,"  and  he 
seemed  to  give  up  the  struggle.  But  his  heart  was 
too  faithful  to  permit  him  to  lose  sight  of  her  he 
loved,  and  having  relinquished  all  claim  to  her  in 
every  other  sense,  he  would  not  give  up  the  humble 
privilege  of  being  near  her,  of  seeing  her,  and  of 
helping  her  to  protect  her  young,  and  serving  in  any 
humble  but  faithful  office. 


OF     BIRDS.  173 

Now  this  is  a  simple  but  literal  story  of  humble 
fidelity  in  a  goose,  that  shames  the  thousand  high- 
flying and  silly  romances  of  human  passion  and  affec- 
tion. It  is  true  every  word  of  it — for  we  watched 
them  faithfully,  through  the  whole  season,  and  when 
we  left  the  "  Famous  Farm  "  late  in  the  year,  pre- 
cisely the  same  relation  continued  to  exist  between 
the  three. 

The  little  man  who  reads  this,  will  never  throw 
stones  at  a  poor  goose  again,  and  imagine  that  he 
has  not  a  heart  to  be  wounded  and  a  body  to  be 
hurt  ! 

One  more  fact  about  gccse  before  we  close,  and 
they  are  wild  geese,  this  time.  It  is  a  very  interest- 
ing incident  to  old  children  as  well  as  young,  and 
reveals  a  characteristic  not  much  known,  especially 
in  the  north. 

Some  eight  or  ten  years  ago,  a  rich  gentleman,  a 
farmer,  who  is  called  Colonel  Robert  Scott,  and 
lives  about  sixteen  miles  north  of  Frankfort,  Ken- 
tucky, on  the  Lexington  railroad,  was  walking  about 
his  extensive  premises  very  early  one  morning,  when 
he  observed  a  solitary  wild  goose,  swimming  hur- 
riedly back  and  forth  in  a  beautiful  little  fresh 
water  pond,  not  far  from  his  house.  Supposing  it 
would  fly  away,  and  being  a  good-hearted  man,  not 
disposed  to  injure  wild  creatures,  he  continued  his 
stroll,  and  the  inspection  of  his  affairs. 

Presently,  to  his  surprise,  his  attention  was  at- 
tracted by  a  violent  fluttering  in  the  lake.    He  pej:- 


174  merry's    book 

ceived  to  his  sorrow,  that  the  goose  which  was 
making  agonizing  efforts  to  rise  from  the  water, 
must  be  severely  wounded.  For  exert  itself  as  it 
might,  there  was  one  wing  which  refused  to  do  duty. 
Some  reckless  sportsman  had  evidently  wronged  it, 
that  is,  broken  a  joint  of  a  wing,  and  it  had  tumbled 
headlong  into  the  pond,  from  its  asrial  voyage. 

It  was  terribly  frightened,  as  it  well  might  be,  at 
the  sight  of  man,  and  besides,  as  it  could  get  no 
food,  was  in  danger  of  starvation.  The  good  man's 
compassion  was  touched  at  the  miserable  plight  of 
the  stranger,  and  instantly  issued  orders  that  no 
one  was,  under  any  pretext,  to  trouble  or  frighten 
it,  and  from  that  day  he  regularly  strewed  the  corn 
for  it  along  the  edges  of  the  lake  with  his  own 
hand,  and  this  being  continued  the  whole  winter, 
by  the  time  spring  came  there  had  gradually  grown 
up  a  sort  of  intimacy  between  the  amiable  colonel 
and  his  crippled  protege. 

After  a  while  the  loud  craunk  !  craunk  !  of  his 
natural  friends,  returning  from  the  bleak  winter  of 
the  Arctic  and  Canada,  towards  the  South,  struck 
upon  the  ear  of  the  solitary  bird,  and  turning  his 
eye  aloft,  the  long  V  like  line  of  which  probably  he 
had  so  often  been  the  apex  and  the  leader,  were  visi- 
ble, floating  high  upon  the  journeying  winds. 

Instantly,  loud  cries  of  welcome  resounded  from 
the  surface  of  the  lake.  There  was  an  instantaneous 
pause  of  hesitancy,  in  the  high-away  lines,  and  the 
leader,  fluttering  from  the  steady  beat  of  travel, 


OP     BIRDS.  175 

wheeled  on  his  broad  wings  about,  followed  by  his 
double  train. 

The  cries  of  the  solitary  bird  alone,  were  redoub- 
led, with  yet  more  conch-like  resonance,  and  all 
doubt  above,  seemed  to  be  at  an  end.  It  was  the 
cry  of  a  friend,  which  called  down  the  travelers,  and 
sweeping  in  broad  gyrations,  down  and  down  they 
came,  uttering  clamorous  cries  of  greeting,  until, 
with  a  few  short  flappings,  as  they  neared  the  sur- 
face, the  whole  flock  was  launched  upon  its  clear 
waters. 

Surrounding  their  long-lost  friend,  such  sonorous 
clamors  of  delight  were  never  heard  in  that  quiet 
region,  before.  After  several  minutes,  when  the 
first  eager  explanations  were  over,  such  splashing 
and  diving,  as  there  was,  would  have  done  your 
heart  good  to  see.  Even  the  poor  prisoner,  scarce 
knowing  what  he  was  about,  in  his  bewildered 
joy,  splashed,  and  washed,  and  dived,  too,  as  eagerly 
as  if  he  had  just  come  from  a  flight  across  the  world. 

The  good  farmer  Scott,  who  witnessed  the  inci- 
dent, was  immensely  pleased  that  his  poor  friend  had 
at  last  met  with  his  own  people,  and  had  probably 
heard  pleasant  news  from  that  rush-home  in  fenny 
Labrador,  over  which  he  had  so  long  grieved.  He 
determined  at  once  to  offer  them  every  attraction  ; 
so  that  an  abundant  supply  of  corn  was  thrown 
down. 

The  thing  was  so  well  managed  that  although,  in 
a  short  time,  the  great  body  of  the  flock,  moved  on, 


176  merry's    book 

in  their  southern  way,  greatly  refreshed  by  such 
generous  hospitality,  a  few  of  the  weaker  or  younger 
birds,  we  suppose,  stayed  behind  to  avail  themselves 
of  it — remaining  the  year  round,  as  if  to  keep  the 
old  bird  company. 

With  the  next  spring,  there  were  additions  to  the 
flock  which  came  in  the  same  way,  and  the  colonists 
began  to  thrive  apace,  breeding  upon  the  shores  of 
the  little  lake,  in  undisturbed  security.  So  the 
thing  went  on  from  year  to  year,  until,  when  we 
last  heard  from  this  interesting  flock,  a  year  ago,  it 
numbered  about  three  hundred  individuals,  and  it 
was  a  sight  so  interesting,  to  see  the  fine  old  Colonel 
scattering  his  buckets  of  corn,  in  the  early  morming, 
with  all  his  three  hundred  pensioners,  crowding  and 
craunking  around  him,  that  people  came  from  many 
miles  to  witness  the  sight,  and  it  has  now  become 
one  of  the  notorities  of  the  neighborhood  of  Frank- 
fort. 

This  is  probably  the  only  instance  on  record,  of 
any  extended  success,  in  taming  these  wild  and 
hunted  denizens  of  air. 


OF      BIRDS. 


177 


NOTHER  morning  we 
rose  early,  and,  long  be- 
fore sunrise,  had  reached 
our  beautiful  spring,  in 
rambling  after  our  bath 
under  the  fall,  down  in 
the  valley,  on  the  east 
side  of  the  farm.  We 
had  been  walking  very 
fast,  and  as  we  approach- 
ed this  place,  our  feet  began  to  lag,  and  we  proposed 
to  get  a  drink  from  the  spring,  and  then  turn  up  the 
lane  and  go  home.  Accordingly,  we  prepared  our- 
selves to  mount  the  fence  ;  our  hands  were  on  the  top 
rails,  and  Mr.  W.  was  nearly  over,  when  a  sudden, 
clear,  metallic  cry,  which  sounded  like  a  little  silver 
triangle,  rapidly  struck  by  some  tiny  hand,  only  more 
shrill  and  savagely  in  earnest,  made  us  fairly  start 
back,  with  the  exclamation,  "  What  is  the  matter  ?" 
while  a  flutter  and  rustle,  which  suddenly  ceased, 
served  to  add  to  our  wonder,  "  There  they  are  at 
last !" 

"  Catch  them  I  catch  them  !  there  !  by  your  feet ! 
one's  hid  under  the  bottom  rail  I  catch  that  one  I  I'll 
have  that  little  fellow,  I  know  !"  exclaimed  Mr.  W., 
with  delighted  eagerness. 

"  What  is  it  ?  what  are  there  ?  where  ?  I  don't  see 
anything,''  I  replied,  looking  all  about  me. 

"Look  under  that  bottom  rail,  where  you  are 
standing  I''  he  answered,  rushing  through  the  brook, 


178 


merry's    book 


and  up  the  rocks  on  the  other  side,  falling  on  Lis 
knees,  and  peering  about  ia  the  crevices  ;  his  eyes 
glancing  here  and  there,  as  if  to  mark  a  dozen  places 
at  the  same  time,  while  I  stood  staring  about  me, 
seeing  nothing,  or  at  least  not  anything  but  Mr.  W.'s 
felt  hat,  which,  by  this  time,  was  just  on  the  bound 
over  the  fall,  some  two  or  three  hundred  feet  down 
the  valley.  However,  I,  too,  began  to  search  for 
something  under  the  "  bottom  rail ;"  but  while  still 
pulling  out  dead  leaves  and  twigs  which  had  boen 
collecting  through  the  whole  winter,  no  doubt,  Mr. 
W.  came  bounding  over  tiie  fence  with  something  in 
his  hand. 

"  Here,   come,  hold  this  little  fellow.     I   know 
where  the  rest  are — the  cunning  little  rogues  !  Low 


CAPTURE   OF   THE  WRENS. 


OP     BIRDS.  179 

quick  they  are  !  Now,  do  not  let  him  go.  I  would 
not  lose  him  for  a  kingdom  ! 

All  this  time  the  silver  triangle  was  rapidly  ringing 
with  furious  earnest  on  all  sides  ;  first,  on  the  top  of 
this  mulberry  ;  then,  yonder,  the  other  side  of  the 
fence  ;  then  down  the  valley  ;  now  up  on  the  hill- 
side ;  the  whole  wood  seemed  to  have  suddenly  been 
filled  with  a  troop  of  mad  fairies,  who  were  calling 
to  arms,  all  the  quaint  people  of  earth,  air,  and  water, 
to  the  rescue ! 

"  Will  it  sting  ?''  was  the  very  natural  question 
we  asked,  as  we  timorously  held  out  our  hands  to 
receive  the  mystery ! 

"  0,  no  I"  laughed  Mr.  W.  ;  "  but,  here  I  will  put 
it  under  my  hat !''  and  he  put  his  hand  to  his  head, 
which  made  me  laugh,  too  ;  for  I  knew  where  his 
hat  had  gone,  while  he  was  chasing  that  "  some- 
thing." "  Well,  lend  me  yours,  then  !"  and  quickly 
my  hat  lay  on  the  ground,  and  "  something  "  was 
under  it,  while  I  was  sent  to  pick  up  some  pebbles  to 
keep  the  hat  down. 

''  Well,  then,  what  is  it?"  I  asked.  ^ 

"  Look  up,  there,  upon  the  first  twig  of  that  great 
maple,  that  stands  close  to  the  fence  I  Do  you  see 
that  wee  bundle  of  brown  feathers  ?  That  is  it  ? 
That  is  one  of  those  little  scamps,  that  have  so  dex- 
terously managed  to  get  out  of  our  reach  !  That  is 
his  father  and  mother  making  all  that  ringing  fuss  ! 
and  they  are  the  very  little  wood-wrens  we  were  so 
anxious  to  get  a  peep  at,  all  last  year  !" 


180  merry's     BOOK 

O,  how  delighted  I  was  !  We  had  one  under  my 
hat ;  but  that,  Mr.  W.  said,  was  a  female  ;  we  must 
have  that  young  gentleman  in  the  tree.  He  was  the 
oldest  bird.  The  only  one  that  knew  how  to  climb 
in  the  nest,  out  of  seven  or  eight ;  he  a»lone  had 
clambered,  or  half  flown,  into  this  very  secure  place, 
as  he,  no  doubt,  thought  it.  And,  in  fact,  he  was 
not  far  from  the  truth  ;  for  my  eyes  had  not  yet  been 
fully  able  to  discover  whether  there  was  a  knot,  or 
a  bird,  on  the  twig. 

But  Mr.  W.'s  eyes  were  too  keen,  and  too  well 
accustomed  to  the  habits  of  birds,  to  be  mistaken. 
He  bade  me  watch  the  little  fellow,  while  he  had 
another  search  for  the  bird  under  the  rail.  After  a 
minute,  Mr.  W.  sprang  to  his  feet,  exclaiming  : 
"  Catcli  that  bird  !  close  to  you,  running  towards  the 
Spring !" 

I  sprang  forward  ;  there  was  a  dainty  birdie, 
scarcely  larger  than  a  butterfly,  spreading  its  little 
wings,  and  running  as  fast  as  it  could  towards  a  heap 
of  brushwood,  which  the  rains  had  swept  together. 
I  caught  him  in  the  folds  of  my  dress,  and  then  took 
a  peep  at  him.  Such  a  beautiful  little  creature  as  it 
was,  in  its  plumes  of  soft  brown,  marked  with  faint 
black  bars,  a  line  of  creamy  white  over  its  bright 
dark  eyes,  and  its  figure,  so  trim,  and  like  some  ver- 
itable wood-sprite. 

We  placed  him  beneath  the  hat,  with  his  little 
glster,  and  then  began  to  think  how  we  should  reach 
the  ifent'eman  on  the  twig,  which  was  at  least  thirty 


OP     BIRDS.  181 

feet  from  tlie  ground  ;  to  climb  it,  was  out  of  the 
question  ;  and  if  we  threw  at  it,  we  might  hurt  it. 
The  question  became  a  serious  one.  How  could  we 
get  him  ?  There  he  sat ;  not  a  feather  moving  ; 
a  perfect  monument  of  patience  ;  watching  us,  but 
believing  himself  well  hid.  The  old  birds,  in  the 
meantime,  had  ceased  their  clatter,  and  were,  I  sup- 
pose, watching  our  dilemma  with  great  satisfaction. 
But  we  were  not  going  to  be  baffled.  At  last,  Mr. 
W.,  who  was  all  eagerness,  exclaimed — 

*'  Ah,  I  have  it !  I  will  outwit  that  cunning 
youngster  !"  and  running  to  a  clump  of  tall  marsh 
willows  which  stood  near,  with  nothing  but  a  small 
pocket  knife  to  help  him,  soon  cut  down  a  pole  ot 
nearly  twenty  feet  in  length,  which  tapered  to  a 
delicate  point,  which  could  not  hurt  the  little  one,  if 
it  should  touch  him.  Then,  clambering  to  the  top 
of  a  high  fence,  which  touched  the  tree,  he  directed 
me  to  keep  a  sharp  look-out  below. 

With  delicate  care  he  now  raised  the  point,  with 
which  he  could  barely  reach  the  fugitive,  and  with  a 
soft  push,  soon  dislodged  him.  Down  he  came, 
fluttering  like  a  little  butterfly,  to  the  ground.  I, 
who  had  been  standing  on  a  pebble  in  the  little 
stream,  darted  forward  to  the  cry  :  "  Be  quick  1  be 
quick!  Don't  let  him  get  up  a  tree,  for  he  can 
climb  like  a  little  squirrel !''  and  sure  enough,  the 
active  scamp  was  already  climbing  the  trunk  of  a 
huge  tree,  when  I  reached  it,  and  compelled  him  to 


182  merry's    book 

take  to  the  ground  again,  where  he  was  soon  hid 
beneath  a  rock. 

The  old  birds  were  by  this  time  ringing  their 
metallic  ter-r-rer  again  ;  and  now  we  could  see  them 
flitting  about  the  rock,  under  which  their  little  one 
crouched,  seeming  to  fancy  that  now,  at  least,  he  was 
safe  from  our  clutches.  But  this  was  a  prize  not  to 
be  so  easily  given  up  ;  we  pried  away  the  stone  and 
captured  him.  The  old  bird's  now  instantly  flew  away, 
and  commenced  peering  into  all  sorts  of  odd  places, 
which  served  to  convince  us  that  they  had  at  least, 
five  or  six  more  nestlings  left. 

Hurrying  home  with  our  prizes,  we  quickly  ascer- 
tained that  two  out  of  the  three  were  females,  the 
last  captive  being  the  only  vigorous  bird  we  had. 
This  would  not  do  at  all  ;  we  must  have  a  pair  of 
these  dear  little  birds,  which  we  were  likely  to  raise. 
We  miglit  never  again  have  so  fine  an  opportunity 
for  obtaining  the  young  of  these  creatures.  They 
were  so  adroit  iu  hiding  their  nests,  deep,  within  the 
hollows  of  prostrate  trees,  or,  as  in  this  case,  amidst 
the  brush  and  stones,  which  had  been  swept  down 
the  valley  by  the  winter  rains.  They  were  so  cau- 
tious in  introducing  their  young  families  to  the  dan- 
gers of  the  great  world,  and  the  little  ones  learned 
so  quickly  to  protect  themselves,  that  we  had  better 
accept  this  happy  chance,  which  tlxrew  into  our  way 
tliese  lovely  birds,  whose  wild,  clear,  shrilly  song 
had  penetrated  our  hearts  with  its  melody,  long 
before  our  eyes  had  known  the  wee  fairy  form  of  the 


OF     BIRDS.  183 

Often  in  the  winter,  while  in  South  Kentucky, 
when  all  other  songs  had  long  since  ceased,  in  the 
evening,  when  the  sun  was  yet  warm  and  glowing, 
from  the  topmost  bough  of  some  solitary  tree  or  post, 
would  suddenly  ring  out  its  brilliant  notes — clear, 
loud,  sweet,  and  thrilling,  seeming  most  like  the 
keen  refraction  of  the  sunshine,  glinting,  through  ice 
drops  on  the  trees,  cheering  the  senses  chilled  to 
numbness,  by  the  bleak  December.  Never  could  we 
get  a  glimpse  of  this  mysterious  little  songster,  who 
thus  came  to  make  our  hearts  glad,  thus  make  the 
dull  winter  joyous,  and  glow  in  the  brilliant  summer, 
his  gay  heart  held.  But  Mr.  W.  knew  his  family 
well,  and  we  had  faith  that  we  should  see  and  make 
friends  with  this  merry  musician  yet. 

All  the  spring,  too,  we  had  been  puzzled  by  a 
brilliant  song,  which  we  thought  must  be  that  of  this 
wren,  down  in  the  valley.  It  had  a  familiar  tone, 
but  we  could  never  see  the  bird,  or  hear  any  notes 
which  we  remembered  to  be  precisely  identical  with 
those  we  had  heard  before.  To  be  sure,  the  bird 
must  be  a  phantom — some  wizard  bird,  who  could 
never  be  seen  by  mortal ;  who  grew  silent,  if  you 
approached  his  perch,  and  was  a  dream  to  all  nature  ; 
whose  notes  were  silver  arrows  swiftly  darting 
through  the  air,  penetrating  it  with  a  keen  and 
sudden  splendor,  which  made  all  other  sounds  pause 
and  fade,  until  the  woods  seemed  sleeping,  or  breath- 
less, by  waiting,  to  be  again  surprised. 


184 


MSRIlY^S     BOOK 


THE   WRENS  AND   THE   ORIOLE. 

OW  that  we  had  three 
of  the  so  much  coveted 
wood-wrens  in  our  pos- 
session, we  hastened 
home  with  our  treasure, 
and  after  feeding  the  ob- 
stinate little  scamps,  we 
placed  them  in  a  little 
basket  lined  with  soft 
stuffs,  and  covered  with 
green  gauze,  to  prevent 
them  from  injuring  themselves  in  their  efforts  to 
escape  ;  then  we  took  a  hasty  meal,  and  concluded 
to  return  immediately  to  the  scene  of  our  late  ad- 
venture, with  the  view  of  capturing  others  of  the 
brood. 

How  this  was  practicable  I  could  not  divine,  for 
I  naturally  supposed  they  woula  take  themselves 
far  enough  away  before  we  could  get  back.  But 
Mr.  "W.,  from  his  knowledge  of  the  habits  of  this 
family  of  birds,  explained  :  "  No,  it  ia  not  likely 
that  they  endeavor  to  escape  from  the  neighborhood 
of  that  immediate  spot,  for  the  young  birds  having 
concealed  themselves  among  the  great  rocks  and 
fallen  timber  around,  the  old  birds  who  know  where 
each  one  is  hid,  will  consider  them  more  safe  where 
they  are,  rather  than  venture  for  the  present  upon 


0  P     B  I  fl  D  8  .  185 

what  tliey  have  just  proven  to  be  the  dangerous 
open  ground  ;  and  besides,  they  are  close  to  the  nest 
to  which  they  will  have  to  return,  for  some  time 
yet,  for  shelter,  as  night  approaches." 

So  we  hurried  off,  taking  with  us  the  little  basket 
containing  our  captives,  whose  cries  would  soon 
attract  the  attention  of  the  old  birds,  when,  if  we 
sat  still  patiently  for  a  while,  having  them  once 
ujider  our  eye,  we  could  see  them  coming  to  feed 
each  of  their  scattered  little  ones,  in  their  different 
places  of  refuge. 

It  was  a  cruel  device,  to  be  sure.  But  those  who 
would  instruct  others  in  the  habits  of  the  natural 
world,  must  capture  its  creatures  for  the  purpose  of 
studying  its  habits  more  perfectly.  We  tell  you 
these  things,  not  to  instruct  you  in  cunning  strata- 
gems, that  you  may  indulge  in  wanton  cruelty 
toward  these  beautiful  and  innocent  beings,  but  to 
show  you  how  affectionate  and  intelligent  they  are, 
that  your  sympathies  may  be  aroused  to  protect, 
rather  than  to  outrage  them. 

Well,  we  soon  arrived  at  the  spring,  with  its  lit- 
tle stream,  and  the  deep  gorge  down  which  it  tum- 
bled in  successive  tiny  cataracts.  We  sat  ourselves 
down  upon  the  mossy  stones,  and  looking  round,  for 
some  time  there  was  not  a  living  thing  visible. 

At  the  first  cry,  however,  of  our  little  captives, 
the  brave  and  watchful  mother,  who  had  no  doubt 
been  gliding  round  us  all  the  time,  silent  as  some 
shadow   of   brown  Elfin  of    the  rocks,  suddenly 


186  merry's     BOOK 

sounded  her  sivery  t'chir-r-r,  t'chir-r-r  of  alarm,  and 
darted  quickly,  and  ringing  by  us,  and  perching  for 
an  instant  on  a  point  of  rock  near  us,  bounded  from 
side  to  side,  with  stooping  breast,  and  pert  tail 
cocked  over  head,  and  scolded  us  at  a  great  rate, 
after  the  most  quaint  and.  impish  manner  ;  while  the 
male,  just  over  head,  in  the  most  vociferous  style, 
sang  out,  as  swinging  half-way  round  a  twig,  he 
hung  with  head  awry,  and  small  waspish  eye  peering 
down  upon  us. 

But  it  seemed  that  such  was  the  little  sinner's 
irreverent  love  of  music,  that  seeing  no  overt  mis- 
chief going  on,  he  darted  upward  from  twig  to  twig, 
till  he  reached  the  top  of  the  tree,  and  bufst  forth 
into  such  a  strain  of  brilliant  notes  that  our  hearts 
were  moved,  and  we  would  surely  have  let  the  little 
captives  go,  but  that  Mr.  W.  said,  "  No,  it  can  not 
be  ;  we  must  study  the  habits  of  this  little  bird.  It 
is  painful,  but  there  are  many  such  painful  things  to 
be  done  by  those  who  would  glean  new  facts  from 
nakire." 

The  female  continued  to  scold  us  for  a  little  while 
longer,  and  with  such  accents  of  indignation  that 
we  could  not  help  feeling  a  little  guilty,  although 
we  knew  that  what  we  were  doing  was  a  duty,  and 
not  an  act  of  idle  cruelty  ;  and  then  she  flitted  away 
down  the  valley,  and  all  was  silent  as  death  again. 

We  now  watched  for  a  considerable  time  in  the 
direction  in  which  she  flew  away,  without  seeing  any 
movement.      At  length,   when    our    patience   was 


OP     BIRDS.  187 

almost  worn  out,  Mr.  W.  whispered,  "  Hist  I  there 
she  is  !  see  her  silently  leaping  from  root  to  stone  ! 
She  has  a  bug  in  her  mouth !  Now  we  have  her 
secret  I  She  comes  to  feed  one  of  them,  and  will 
reveal  its  hiding-place." 

So,  after  many  cautious  evolutions,  we  saw  her 
disappear  beneath  a  shelving  rock,  from  wliich  she 
soon  emerged  without  anything  in  her  bill. 

"  Now  for  it !  we  will  have  that  youngster,  any- 
how !"  and  we  rushed  forward  to  the  spot,  when,  to 
our  dismay,  we  found  there  was  quite  a  cave  under- 
neath the  overhanging  rock  ;  and  when  we  knelt  for 
a  better  view,  we  could  only  peer  into  a  distance  far 
too  deep  and  black  for  our  arms  to  reach  the  bottom 
of  it.     We  were  puzzled  for  a  moment. 

"  Never  mind  !  with  all  their  cunning,"  said  Mr. 
W.,  "  they  are  silly  little  fellows  at  last ;  reach  mo 
that  long  stick — and  you,  place  yourself  there,  where 
the  upper  surface  of  the  cave  slopes  down  to  within 
an  inch  or  so  of  the  bottom.  I  think  I  can  drive 
him  out  into  the  folds  of  your  dress  ; ,  I  don't  think 
he  has  gumption  enough  to  know  when  he  is  safe  ; 
but  you  must  be  quick." 

After  a  deal  of  poking  into  the  deep  recesses  of 
the  cave,  without  success,  we  were  about  to  give  it 
up  as  a  desperate  undertaking,  and  sat  consulting 
what  to  do  next,  when  who  should  pop  out  but  our 
lovely,  little  brown  imp,  with  his  creamy  breast, 
and  pure  white  streak  above  his  brilliant,  little  soft 
black  eyes. 


188 

He  looked  so  innocent,  that  ho  had  evidently  just 
come  out  to  see  if  all  was  right,  intenaing,  if  tlie 
coast  was  clear,  to  find  some  other  quarters,  where 
there  were  no  such  ugly  noises.  One  spring  and  we 
had  him ! 

This  fresh  capture  seemed  to  cause  dire  consterna- 
tion among  the  old  folks,  and  almost  immediately 
we  saw  the  mother,  who  had  darted  to  the  hiding- 
place  of  another  close  at  hand,  which  she  seemed  to 
think  not  sufficiently  secure  under  the^e  new  as- 
saults. 

She  came  forth,  leading  him  away  with  great 
rapidity.  We  hurried  in  pursuit,  and  such  a  chase 
as  we  had  of  it !  We  thought  we  had  our  hands  on 
him  half  a  dozen  times,  but  he  "  was  not  there,"  and 
it  was  not  till  after  many  doublings  and  turnings, 
that  we  succeeded  in  capturing  the  quick  and  dex- 
trous creature. 

We  ascertained  in  the  same  way  tliat  tliere  was 
another  little  one,  concealed,  as  we  supposed,  in  or 
near  a  huge  hollow  log  which  had  fallen  across  the 
ravine.  After  sounding  the  hollow  in  all  directions, 
and  searching  on  every  side  half  an  hour,  we  found 
the  little  simpleton  at  last  had  been  squatting  all 
the  time  in  a  pile  of  loose  stones  a  few  feet  off,  from 
which  he  made  his  appearance  of  his  own  accord, 
as  we  supposed,  to  look  after  our  movements. 

Here  was  another  exciting  and  helter-skelter 
chase,  before  we  succeeded  in  capturing  him  also. 
We  now  had  six  of  the  young,  and  as  these  would 


OF     BIRDS 


189 


be  amply  sufficient  for  our  purpose,  we  determined 
to  leave  the  other  two  a-s  some  consolation  to  the 
poor  parents  for  their  loss,  and  turned  homeward 
more  purely  delighted  with  our  treasures,  than  if 
we  had  picked  up  six  peerless  diamonds  of  the  finest 
water. 

As  we  neared  the  house,  "  Polly,"  the  mulatto 
girl,  came  running  forth  to  meet  us,  holding  some 
Small  dark  object  in  her  hand. 

"  Here,  miss,  here  I"  she  exclaimed.  "  Here's  a 
little  bird  for  you  ?  Uncle  Alek  picked  it  up  in  the 
yard  jes  now  !" 


^^'^.*^:;-^~^^-»'C-^«5^  ■'^*S_ 


UNCLE     ALEK     S     PRIZE. 


We  took  it  from  her  hands,  when  lo  !  what  should 
it  be  ?  A  beautiful  male  orchard  oriole  !  or  "  hang- 
bird,"  as  the  country  people  call  it,  its  splendid 


190  merry's    b  0  ok 

coat  of  purple  and  brown  glistening  in  the  spring 
sunshine,  and  its  dark  eyes  vivid  with  untamed  life. 

We  were  as  much  astonished  as  rejoiced. 

How  could  this  have  happened  ?  The  bird  did 
not  seem  to  be  sick,  or  to  have  been  hurt.  We 
asked  "  Polly." 

*  Don't  know,  miss  ;  ole  Uncle  Alek  say  he  ben  a 
lightin' !" 

"  Well,  but  what  have  you  been  doing  to  him  ? 
Here,  he  has  grease  on  him  !" 

"Why,  miss,"  lauglied  Polly,  "  de  children  ben 
try  in'  to  feed  him  wid  de  hog  fat." 

"  Why,  Polly  !  Polly !  Polly  !  what  could  you 
mean  by  letting  the  children  stuff  this  dainty  crea- 
ture with  hog's  fat  ?" 

"  Why,  miss,  we  don't  know  what  he  eat  ?" 

Poor  creature  !  What  barbarians  it  must  have 
thought  it  had  fallen  among.  All  away  from  amid 
the  fruits  and  flowers  of  the  tropic  South,  fallen  in 
the  weariness  of  flight,  or  beaten  down  in  some  pre- 
mature battle  with  a  rival  foe,  to  find  itself  prisoner 
in  the  hands  of  rude  negro  children,  who  attempt  to 
stuff  its  delicate  throat  with  villainous  hog's  fat ! 
That  throat,  which  had  as  yet  drank  only  of  the 
dews  distilled  from  heaven,  and  gushed  only  tlie 
joyous  music  of  love,  amid  perfumed  airs,  and  the 
rustle  of  soft  green  leaves.  Pooh  !  faugh  I  the  very 
idea  I  How  we  caressed  the  beautiful  stranger  !  and 
in  our  double  joy  at  the  acquisition,  and  in  having 


OP     BIRDS.  191 

been  enabled  to  rescue  him  from  such  hard  usage,  we 
almost,  for  the  moment,  forgot  our  little  wrens. 

We  hurried  up  to  our  room,  and  the  first  instinct, 
of  course,  was  to  rid  it,  as  far  as  could  be  gently 
done,  of  the  base  greases  with  which  its  shiny  head 
and  musical  throat  had  been  profaned — and  gently, 
ah,  how  gently,  did  we  handle  it — this  far-comer  of 
a  beaming  land  !  It  had  been  silent  heretofore — had 
uttered  no  cry,  nor  made  any  attempt  to  escape.  The 
negro  had  rolled  it  passively  into  our  palm — and  we 
had  wondered  that,  full  of  life  as  it  seemed,  it  made 
no  attempt  to  spring  away  into  the  free  air,  when  it 
would  have  been  so  easy. 

But  now,  when  those  horrible  black  forms,  with 
their  greasy  pork,  were  gone,  and  it  was  held  with 
caressing  gentleness  in  the  hand,  it  commenced  to 
utter  the  most  plaintive,  the  most  strange,  and  pleas- 
ing cries.  Oh,  how  touching  they  were  1  Half 
joyous,  as  if  for  its  rcliof,  and  liquid,  rich,  and  plain- 
ing, as  if  demanding,  in  a  higher  tongue,  the  self-same 
boon  of  higher  intelligences  than  those  from  which  it 
had  just  been  rescued. 

It  did  not  seem  to  be  either  passive  now  with 
fright,  or  disposed  to  struggle  to  get  away,  but  only 
uttered  its  clear,  harmonious  call  at  rapid  intervals. 
We  soon  perceived  that  the  little  creature  was  very 
lean,  and  it  struck  us  that  it  must  be  most  weak 
from  hunger. 

We  had  already  prepared  a  paste  of  crushed 
crickets  and  grasshoppers,  which,  carefully  dried  in 


192 

the  sun,  could  be  at  any  time,  after  being  soaked  in 
new  milk,  used  as  food  for  young  birds.  Dipping  a 
common  camel's  hair  water-color  brush,  of  medium 
size,  in  this  diluted  paste,  we  have  always  found  that 
upon  applying  it  gently  to  the  bill  of  a  bird,  whether 
young  or  old,  they  would  be  more  readily  induced 
to  feed  than  by  any  other  method. 

We  now  tried  this  experiment  with  our  new  friend, 
when  he  ate  with  an  avidity  which  proved  him  to 
have  been  in  reality  nearly  half  famished,  and  soon 
perceived  that  between  each  interval  he  uttered  his 
sweet  call  with  clear  joyance. 

Poor  little  weary  wanderer  !  how  pleasant  it  was 
to  see  him  grow  warm  and  glad,  and  meet  his  clear 
look,  growing  more  and  more  confiding  as  he  saw 
we  offered  him  only  pleasant  things,  and  gave  him 
no  vile  pork. 

And  when  at  last  we  came  to  place  him  in  the 
roomy  cage,  he  bounded  to  and  fro,  with  wagging 
tail ;  and  ah,  you  can  not  tell  what  delicious  reward 
it  was  to  us,  when,  at  cock-crow  in  the  morning,  we 
were  awakened  by  the  wild  and  fluent  melody  ring- 
ing in  our  ears,  close  to  the  bedside. 

How  gay  and  shy  the  little  fellow  seemed  !  He  had 
a  rival,  too,  on  the  locust  tree,  just  outside  that 
window,  and  such  a  sweet  vociferation,  strain  fop 
strain^  as  they  kept  up,  answering  each  other,  until 
the  sun  rose.  We  lay  as  if  in  dreaming  we  listened 
to  the  dream-land  music,  and  all  the  big  house 
became  reverberate  of  sounds.     We  thought  it  might 


OF     BIRDS.  193 

hav.e  been  in  contest  with  this  very  rival  on  the 
locust  tree  that  our  bright  friend  had  fallen  exhaust- 
ed, to  be  captured  by  old  Alek. 

We  had  observed  a  shy  and  modest  plumed  ma- 
dame  "  Orie "  for  a  day  or  two  before,  gliding, 
fidgeting,  among  the  young  leaves  of  this  same 
locust,  and  we  had  concluded  that  there  would  be  a 
nest  there  in  good  time.  We  used  to  stand  to  one 
side,  half  concealed  by  the  curtains,  and  watch  her 
as  she  came  out  to  the  very  ends  of  the  limbs — some 
of  which  were  within  reach  of  our  hands — and 
anxiously  peering  in  through  the  glass  at  us,  as  if  to 
satisfy  herself  whether  we  were  likely  to  be  quiet 
neighbors  ;  and  we  had  taken  very  good  care  to 
make  no  movement  that  would  have  a  tendency  to 
startle  her  good  opinion. 

For,  most  of  all,  it  was  a  delight  to  us,  the  idea 
that  we  should  be  enabled,  from  such  close  neighbor- 
hood, to  witness  the  whole  wonderful  process  of  the 
nest-building  of  these  birds,  who,  you  must  know, 
weave  and  sew  their  hanging  cradle  with  all  the 
skill  of  human  artists  ;  and  then  the  thought,  too, 
that  we  should  see  the  little  eggs  come,  one  by  one, 
so  mysteriously,  and  watch,  on  the  sly,  the  endearing 
scenes  of  love-making  ;  and  then  when  the  time 
arrived  for  incubation,  to  listen  to  the  soft  twittering 
gratitude  of  the  brooding  female,  when  her  faithful" 
mate  came  to  bring  her  food  ;  and  then,  to  listen  to 
the  love-song,  with  which  he  gaily  soothed  her  weary 
hours— you  cannot  think  what  a  prospect  of  pleasant- 


194  merry's    book 

ness  these  anticipations  had  afforded  us  from  the 
first  signs  of  her  purpose  to  make  her  summer  home 
in  this  tree. 

Now,  we  felt  certain  that  since  she  had  heard  the 
gay  song  of  one  of  her  own  species  from  witliin 
this  dim  room,  which  she  clearly  regarded  with  so 
much  suspicion,  she  would  be  decided  to  settle 
there. 

We  had  already  attempted  to  lure  a  pair  of  merry 
blue-birds,  with  the  same  view,  who  were  evidently 
seeking  a  locality  also,  by  placing  a  gourd,  with  a 
hole  in  it,  on  this  tree,  opposite  our  window  ;  but 
we  saw  that  after  a  few  sharp,  decisive  battles,  the 
male  oriole  had  triumphed,  and  the  discomfited  blue- 
birds flitted  to  and  fro,  still  merrily  disconsolate, 
looking  for  a  home,  with  which  we  soon  afterwards 
supplied  them,  in  the  shape  of  a  nice  little  box  on 
the  next  tree,  where  we  could  readily  command  their 
every  movement. 

Our  little  wrens  were,  for  a  few  hours,  very 
obstinate.  They  would  neither  stay  in  the  warm 
nest  we  made  for  them  in  the  basket,  nor  take  any 
food,  unless  we  took  tliem  into  our  hands,  and  opened 
their  mouths  for  them.  We  had  emptied  a  large 
box,  and  placed  their  basket  within  it.  We  gave 
them  an  opportunity  for  running  about,  and  hoped 
they  would  soon  be  hungry  enough  to  listen  to  reason, 
and  accept  us  for  parents. 

But  they  had  to  be  coaxed.  Finally,  almost  in 
despair,  we  recollected  that  Beckstein — +he  German 


0  F     B  I  R  D  8  .  195 

bird  tamer,  who  has  written  so  much  about  the  man- 
agement of  pet  birds — says,  if  a  quill  is  used,  young 
birds  may  be  induced  to  eat  without  the  danger  of 
injuring  their  bills.  Now,  the  bills  of  these  little 
ones  were  soft  as  flowerbuds,  and  we  had  been  only 
able  to  open  them  by  passing  our  long  finger-nail 
delicately  between  the  mandibles,  and  compelling  the 
youngling  to  open  its  mouth  with  the  slight  pressure 
we  made. 

Instantly,  we  thought  of  our  water-coloring 
brushes.  Selecting  one  of  the  swan's  quill  size, 
dipping  it  into  the  mixture  we  had  made,  of  crushed 
crickets  and  grasshoppers,  soaked  in  new  milk,  we 
applied  it  gently  to  the  mouth  of  one  of  the  now 
sleepy  birdlings.  The  titillating  at  the  base  of  the 
bill  made  him  gape  his  yellow  mouth,  and  we  dex- 
terously dropped  the  wet  brush  within  it. 

It  evidently  pleased  his  palate,  for  his  eyes  flew 
open  w^ide  ;  and  as  w^e  offered  the  brush  again,  the 
mouth  w^as  gaping  to  receive  it.  Here  was  a  triumph. 
After  all  our  efforts,  the  brush  had  achieved  all  we 
desired,  for  the  gratified  twitterings  of  this  little 
one  had  roused  the  others,  and  they,  too,  ^vere  soon 
clamerous  for  a  share. 

From  that  time,  they  hailed  the  approach  of  our 
hand  as  the  signal  that  the  brush  Avas  coming  with 
a  new  supply  of  food  ;  and  it  was  very  quaint  to 
see  this  group  of  little  birds  running  about  the  box, 
their  wings  spread,  their  tails  thrown  .over  tlieir 
backs,  and  those  dainty  mouths  of  theirs  stretched 


196  merry's    book 

wide  ill  clamorous  eagerness  for  food,  food,  food, 
every  time  the  green  vail,  which  covered  their  box, 
was  lifted,  and  the  brush  appeared. 

The  food  we  gave  them  was  very  nourishing,  and 
they  grew  apace  ;  but  by  an  accident,  three  of  our 
little  treasures  w^ere  killed.  Do  not  ask  me  how, 
for  I  do  not  like  to  narrate  such  sad  events.  The 
other  three  were  soon  too  impatient  of  imprisonment 
to  stay  in  the  box,  and  as  we  had  become  pretty  w^ell 
acquainted  w^ith  each  other,  in  a  day  or  two  we  per- 
mitted them  to  play  about  us  in  our  room.  Then 
commenced  their  antics — such  funny,  wee  things  as 
they  were.  They  were  so  babyish,  they  did  not 
know  anything  in  the  w^orld  but  the  brush.  They 
knew  that,  but  did  not  know  why  it  refused  to  give 
them  food  when  our  hand  was  not  at  the  other  end 
of  it.  They  w^ould  seize  it,  one  at  one  end,  another 
at  the  other,  bite  and  tug  at  it,  drag  it  about  the 
room,  under  the  chairs,  tables,  bed,  anywhere  and 
everywhere,  while  the  third  w^ould  follow,  squalling, 
beseeching,  with  eager,  upturned  bill,  but  all  to  no 
purpose.  The  brush  was  obstinate,  and  after  a 
hearty  laugh,  we  would  capture  the  brush,  and  while 
all  three  of  the  baby-birds  were  on  tip-toe  with 
expectation,  all  begging  at  the  same  moment,  and 
watching  the  movements  of  the  brush  with  impatient 
expectation,  we  would  dip  the  unkind  representative 
of  mother-bird,  and  restore  their  faith  in  it  in  a 
moment. 

Then  away  they  would   scamper — play  with  th*^ 


C  b'     BIRDS.  197 

most  surprising  energy  for  about  fifteen  minutes, 
and  tlien  one  after  the  other  would  clamber  into  our 
lap,  and,  hid  away  together  in  the  folds  of  our  dress, 
sleep  a  little  wliile — a  very  little  while,  however,  for 
we  could  scarcely  say,  "  They  are  fast  asleep,"  be- 
fore first  one,  then  another,  would  withdraw  his 
head  from  beneath  his  wing,  stretch  a  wing  or  a  leg, 
hop  upon  our  knee,  and  then  with  a  chirp  spring  off 
for  a  new  frolic. 

We  had  to  teach  tlieni  to  bathe.  When  we  first 
put  them  into  the  little  bath-tub,  with  about  an 
eighth  of  an  incli  of  water,  with  the  chill  sli^fhtly 
taken  off,  you  would  have  laughed.  Standing  on 
tip-toe,  with  wings  slightly  elevated,  neck  stretched 
to  its  utmost  length,  head  inclined,  and  eyes  gazing 
into  the  mystery,  they  seemed  utterly  to  fail  in  th** 
comprehension  of  it.  We  could  not  help  laughing 
merrily.  We  had  to  throw  the  water  over  them 
repeatedly,  before  we  could  make  tliem  understand 
that  it  was  solemn  earnest,  or  that  it  was  a  new 
duty  which  they  were  to  learn.  And  even  when 
they  had  learned  this  much,  it  took  them  a  long 
time  to  find  out  the  process  of  drying  themselves,  as 
their  mother  had  done  before  them  ;  and  how  to 
teach  them  "^'\zzled  us  a  good  deal — we  had  no 
feathers  to  shake,  no  wings  to  spread,  and  bill  to 
smooth  feathers  with.  We  did  what  we  could,  how- 
ever. We  gesticulated  as  velicmently  as  possible, 
we  talked  as  rapidly,  we  shook  our  heads  and  hands, 
we  doubtless  astonished  them.     We  shook  their  lit- 


198  merry's    book 

tie  wings  as  softly  as  we  could — and  it  all  ended 
with  a  hop,  jump,  fi'om  our  shoulder  to  our  puffed 
hair,  and  a  soft  whispering,  as  they  nestled  close  to 
our  ear,  swinging  in  this  new  cradle. 

Or  if  the  hair  was  not  properly  arranged  for 
them,  then  there  was  Mrs,  W.'s  sleeve,  or  mine,  or 
the  collar  of  Mr.  W.'s  coat,  under  his  roluminous 
hair.  They  would  nestle  and  twitter,  and  in  a 
moment  would  be  fast  asleep  ;  and  no  mutter  how 
much  we  moved  about,  our  motions  were  to  them 
quite  as  natural  as  the  swinging  of  branches  in  the 
woods  would  be. 

Of  course  we  had  to  present  the  wrens  to  our  friend 
Orie.  They  had  made  inquisitive  visits  to  his  cage, 
peering  in  at  him,  and  evidently  very  anxious  to 
make  his  acquaintance.  Accordingly,  we  opened 
Orie's  front-dour,  and  in  walked  the  three  little 
baby-birds.  Master  Orie  was  astonished,  you  may 
be  sure,  at  the  invasion.  He  flew  to  the  top-perch 
in  his  cage,  stooping  over,  and  watching  the  man- 
ners of  the  intruders  below. 

They  were  staring  about,  looking  for  all  the 
world  like  simpletons  who  had  suddenly  been  trans- 
planted from  a  wilderness  to  a  palace.  Such  lofty 
bars,  such  long  perches,  such  heaps  of  dinner,  such 
huge  baths  ;  all  was  wonderful !  But  their  marvel 
soon  took  a  new  direction.  Little  natives  as  they 
were,  every  thing  must  be  examined,  and  to  work 
accordingly  they  went.  "  Bob  ''  had  taken  it  into 
his  head  to  pursue  Orie,  and  from  perch  to  perch, 


OP     BIRDS.  199 

and  from  top  to  bottom  he  hopped,  determined  to 
find  out  the  meaning  of  his  superior  size,  the  differ- 
ence in  his  color,  and  his  excessive  shyness. 

Orie  patiently  evaded  him,  waiting,  on  the  stoop 
for  fresh  flight,  every  advance  the  young  gentleman 
made.  "  Mouse  "  had  quietly  taken  possession  of 
the  large  bath,  and  was  soberly  regarding  the  effect 
of  his  legs  as  he  stood  immersed  to  the  tips  of  his 
wings.  "  Lady  "  was  busily  engaged  in  overhauling 
''  Master  Orie's  "  pantry.  Presently,  when  Orie 
grew  hungry,  he  descended  from  his  perch,  and  then 
what  a  picture  !  All  these  baby-birds,  these  naughty 
little  scamps  of  intruders,  gathered  about  him,  en- 
treating and  squalling,  begging  and  hopping  about 
him,  while  Orie,  poor  fellow  !  stood  staring  from 
one  to  the  other,  on  tip-toe  with  surprise,  and 
uncertain  what  next  to  expect  from  this  obstreper- 
ous troup. 

They  soon  found  that  they  entreated  in  vain. 
Orie  continued  to  regard  them,  first  with  astonish- 
ment, afterward  with  indifferent  disdain.  Yet  they 
paid  him  one  or  two  visits  daily.  We  sometimes 
amused  ourselves  by  shutting  the  door  of  the  cage, 
and  then  watching  the  efforts  they  made  to  get  out 
after  they  had  grown  tired  of  the  cage.  Their 
impatience  was  funny,  and  it  always  had  the  same 
result.  Out  they  came,  how,  it  was  difficult  to 
understand  ;  but  after  squeezing  and  scolding,  push- 
ing out  *a  head,  a  wing,  a  leg,  draAving  back  again 


200  merry's    book 

and  trying  another  space,  they  always  managed  to 
slip  through  the  bars. 

^  One  day  the  windows  were  all  open,  the  birdti 
were  playing  about  the  room  merry  as  bees,  talking 
to  each  other,  full  of  all  sorts  of  antics.  The  brash 
had  been  made  to  perambulate  the  wliole  surface 
of  the  floor,  when  a  sudden  pause,  a  stillness  in  the 
room  startled  us.  We  looked  up  from  our  drawing. 
"'Bob,  Bob!'  'Mouse!'  'Lady,'  where  are  you? 
Come  here  quick,"  said  we,  as  we  commenced  peer- 
ing about  the  room  after  them. 

"  Mouse  "  and  "  Lady  "  instantly  presented  them- 
selves, but  "  Bob  "  was  invisible. 

We  at  once  conjectured  that  "  Bob  "  had  made  an 
exit  from  the  window,  and  after  a  hasty  search 
about  the  room,  we  ran  down  into  the  yard,  calling 
"  Bob,  Bob  !"  and  whistling  the  sound  which  he  was 
accustomed  to  reply  to,  when  we  wanted  to  feed 
him.  We  had  the  brush  in  our  hand,  and  had  full 
faith  that  if  he  but  caught  a  glimpse  of  us  or  it,  or 
could  hear  us  call,  we  should  again  capture  the  run- 
away. 

We  ran  hurriedly  to  and  fro.  As  we  came  under 
the  locusts,  Mrs.  W.  exclaimed,  "  There  he  is  I"  and 
almost  before  the  words  were  uttered  "  Bob  "  had 
sailed  down  with  unsteady  flight,  and  stood  panting 
on  my  shoulder. 

Poor  little  "  Bob  !"  He  was  sadly  terrified. 
There,  in  the  tree  above  him,  still  darting  about, 
were  the  two  orioles  we  told  you  about  in  our  last 


K--^-T^ 


i:l'i'|ii"^i||  i:  "i.li'i!  1  liV:!  liii'ii'l  !'■' ! ■'■ 'i  '|i'l  |!!''l'!i'''"ll!f 'iiii.m  ill'!!!;""  ■'! 


202  merry's    book 

paper,  and  who  had  whipped  the  blue-birds  away, 
when  they  attempted  to  settle  on  this  tree. 

Young  Master  Bob  had  innocently  enough^  when 
in  his  surprise  he«  found  himself  alone  in  the  vast 
world,  taken  himself  to  the  shelter  of  these  green 
leaves,  when,  scarcely  had  he  paused  there,  Madame 
Orie,  with  little  magnanimity,  I  confess,  pounced 
upon  him,  calling  to  her  aid  her  spouse  ;  and  if  we 
had  not  fortunately  come  to  the  rescue,  I  greatly 
fear  me,  poor  "  B^ob ''  would  have  been  soundly 
thrashed.  As  it  was,  tlie  little  runaway  did  not  en- 
tirely recover  from  his  fright  until  we  had  caressed 
him,  brush  had  fed  him,  and  he  had  had  a  nap  in 
our  hair.  He  never  tried  another  experiment,  how- 
ever, no  matter  how  wide  the  windows  and  doors 
were  open. 

We  had  scarcely  been  aware  how  deeply  these 
baby-birds  were  enlisting  our  affections,  until  this 
escapade  of  "  Bob's,''  who,  by  the  way,  had  received 
his  name  from  his  pert  fashion  of  jerking  about  from 
side  to  side  the  remnant  of  a  tail  which  had  been 
preserved  to  him,  after  a  trial  of  his  one  day  to  see 
if  fire  would  burn.  His  ridiculous  efforts  to  make 
this  stumpy,  charred  fragment  as  effective  as  the 
long,  beautifully  marked  tail-feathers  of  his  play- 
mates— the  sedulous  dressings  he  gave  it,  like  a 
young  gentleman  wdth  his  first  moustache,  and  the 
evident  conclusion  he  came  to,  that  he  was  certainly 
handsomer  without  tail-feathers  than  any  body  else 


OP     BIRDS.  203 

was  with  tliem  (and  at  all  events  his  would  grow), 
WCTQ  infinitely  amusing. 

Our  birds  were  very  fond  of  the  warm  fire.  They 
would  play  about  it  for  hours,  and  while  they  were 
ivarin  enough,  they  would  not  get  too  close  ;  but  if 
the  fire  burned  low,  and  they  no  longer  felt  the  glow 
upon  the  floor,  then  they  would  gradually  draw 
closer  and  closer.  We  did  not  know  what  to  do 
with  them.  They  would  not  stay  in  the  cage,  and 
we  feared  they  would  be  killed  some  time  when  we 
were  out,  by  flying  into  the  hot  ashes. 

We  finally  got  a  long,  slender  stick,  and  every 
time  they  approached  the  fire,  we  would  make  such 
a  racket  with  it  on  the  floor  between  them  and  the 
fire,  that  they  would  dart  away  in  grand  consterna- 
tion. We  finally  succeeded  in  making  the  stick  so 
much  a  bug-bear,  that  we  had  only  to  place  it  in 
the  corner,  and  they  took  good  care  after  one  or 
two  efforts  to  conciliate  it,  never  to  go  too  near  to 
it ;  and  in  this  way  we  saved  them  from  burned  toes, 
if  not  some  greater  misfortune. 

We  are  very  fond  of  wild  flowers.  We  await 
the  appearnce  of  the  first  timid  blossom  with  great 
eagerness,  and  there  are  few  nooks  in  the  woods 
that  we  have  not  at  least  peered  into.  Indeed, 
wild  flowers  and  young  birds  hold  a  wide  space  in 
our  heart.  Thus,  then,  we  never  fail  to  have  flow- 
ers in  our  room  when  there  are  any  to  be  found  ; 
and  our  friends  are  all  so  well  aware  of  our  fond- 


204 

ncP9  for  fiowei'B,  tliat  we  often  have  tliem  long  before 
other  people  dream  that  they  have  arrived. 

Oriels  cage  y/e  had  carefully  kept  supplied  with 
ti'reen  branches,  grasses,  and  wild  flowers,  and  on 
the  top  of  the  cage  wc  had  a  vase  filled  every  day 
with  some  kind  of  flowers  and  vine-leaves.  These 
bouquets  were  not  pyramidal  in  form  either,  by  any 
manner  of  means,  but  rather  assumed  the  quaint  and 
graceful  forms  which  nature  presents  to  us  out  of 
doors. 

Under  this  bouquet,  "  Bob,''  "  Mouse,"  and 
"  Lady  "  loved  to  play,  chasing  each  other  round 
and  round,  under  the  roses,  over  the  vines,  now 
mounted  on  the  top  of  the  vase,  now  crouching  amid 
the  clusters  of  green  leaves,  playing  bo-peep  with 
each  other  or  iis.  And  here  the  throe  baby-birds 
made  their  day-cradle.  Often,  when  all  grew  still 
in  the  room,  when  the  cheery  sounds  our  pets  made 
were  all  silenced,  and  we  looked  up  to  see  what  it 
meant,  we  would  see  Orie  almost  nodding  on  his 
perch,  while  gathered  together,  a  little  handful  of 
living  feathers,  breathing  softly,  as  if  a  new-born 
wind-spirit  animated  them^  and  bearing  no  sem- 
blance to  bird-form,  we  would  find  those  dear  nest- 
lings cosily  sleeping,  a  rose  for  a  canopy,  flower 
petals  for  a  couch,  and  the  shadow  of  fresli  green 
loaves  for  cradle-curtains. 

Then,  in  our  deep  love  for  them,  which  was 
always  growing,  we  would  take  the  dainty  treasures 
gently  with  our  hand,  lifting  them  all  at  the  same 


OF     BIRDS.  205 

time,  and,  placing  them  in  tlie  palm  of  the  other, 
Vatch  their  soft  slumber  ;  and  how  strange  it 
seemed  !  Those  sweet  birdies  had  so  learned  to 
know  our  presence,  our  touch,  that  they  would  never 
be  startled.  They  kept  their  heads  beneath  their 
wings,  and  the  only  token  they  gave  was,  that  they 
nestled  more  closely  together,  and  murmured  a 
fairly-like  melody  of  loving  sounds,  too  exquisite  for 
any  human  to  imitate. 

Then  when  the  twilight  came,  and  our  treasures 
grew  impatient  for  their  nest,  then  we  made  them  a 
soft  bed  in  their  basket,  and  placed  it  beside  our 
pillow,  anticipating  the  early  calls  for  "  brush,'' 
*'  brush  1"  the  loving  caressess  and  droll  antics  in 
the  morning,  when  at  the  first  peep  of  light  into 
their  basket  they  came  scrambling  out,  to  hop  upon 
our  forehead,  or  warm  themselves  in  our  hair,  or  in 
our  bosom. 

We  told  you  how  we  came  to  call  one  of  our 
wrens  "  Bob,"  but  we  did  not  tell  you  why  the 
other  two  were  called  "  Mouse  "  and  "  Lady."  We 
will  tell  you  at  once. 

"  Mouse  "  was  a  male  bird,  but,  unlike  "Bob,'' 
who  was  a  gay,  noisy  fellow,  his  motions  were 
smooth,  gliding,  and  noiseless,  and  he  had  a  fashion 
of  finding  all  the  sunny  nooks  and  corners.  If  there 
was  any  fold  in  my  dress,  which  formed  a  particu- 
larly cosy  shelter,  "Mouse"  was  sure  to  find  it. 
He  had  first  made  the  discovery  that  ou^  oars  were 


206 

warm,  and  that  our  hair  was  tlie  very  best  mate- 
rial for  a  comfortable  swing. 

He  made  another  discovery  also.  Our  window- 
curtains  were  knotted  together  in  the  center  of  the 
broad  windows,  forming  many  large  folds.  One 
day  we  heard  an  unusual  talking  among  the  little 
folks.  "  Bob,"  and  "  Lady  " — who  had  received 
her  name  on  account  of  her  womanish  ways,  and  for 
the  attentions  the  others  paid  her — were  peering, 
stooping,  and  tip-toeing,  twittering,  and  now  and 
then  giving  us  the  full  benefit  of  that  silvery  trian- 
gle of  theirs,  while  at  .the  same  time  their  expression 
was  that  of  birds  extremely  puzzled. 

"  Mouse  "  was  invisible,  but  we  could  hear  him, 
calling  with  low,  gentle  whisperings,  now  a  little 
louder,  now  almost  lost,  as  if  the  little  fellow  was 
going  to  sleep,  but  was  still  endeavoring  to  keep 
himself  awake  long  enough  to  let  liis  friends  know 
where  he  was. 

We  followed  tlie  sound  after  listening  a  minute, 
and  found  "  Mouse  "  safely  stowed  away  within  a 
deep  fold  of  the  curtain  close  to  the  knot,  where  the 
gathering  together  of  the  two  sides  of  the  curtain 
made  a  great  many  folds,  and,  of  course,  formed  a 
shady,  warm  nest  for  the  young  gentleman. 

When  we  gently  parted  the  folds  above  his  head 
and  looked  in,  he  turned  his  bright  eye  up  to  us, 
and  nestled  more  snugly  down  in  his  new-found 
napping-place,  while  the  two  others  flew  down  from 
the  top  of  the  bedstead,  and  gazing  in  at  "  Mouse  " 

4 


OF     BIRDS.  207 

instantly  perceived  the  justice  of  his  selection,  the 
value  of  the  discovery,  and  without  any  further  ado. 
plunged  into  these  new  quarters,  where,  after  push- 
ing and  crowding,  and  fitting  the  cradle  to  their 
wee-bit  forms,  they  twittered  approval,  and  went  to 
sleep.  After  this,  for  some  time,  whenever  we  re- 
turned from  our  long  walks,  we  would  be  sure  to 
find  our  babies  in  their  curtain-bed,  waiting  our  re- 
turn ;  and  the  moment  we  approached  it,  before  we 
had  yet  looked  in,  they  would  recognize  our  pres- 
ence, and  greet  us  in  their  dainty  way. 

It  was  strange,  too,  how  quickly  these  pets  would 
comprehend  the  characters  of  people  who  came  to 
see  us.  Sometimes  they  would  scold,  and  scold,  at 
persons,  and  we  could  not  induce  them  to  go  near 
them.  When  other  persons  came,  they  would  play 
about  them  as  they  did  with  us — never  dreaming, 
apparently,  that  people  could  hurt  them — but  only 
some  people  were  not  as  good  as  others.  And  it 
usually  turned  out  to  be  true,  that  those  very  people 
whom  the  wrens  disliked,  were  vicious,  impure,  or 
in  some  way  untrue.  One  day,  the  old  lady  at  the 
"  Famous  Farm  ^'  had  a  party  of  children  to  visit 
her.  Several  of  them  came  up  to  our  room  to  see 
our  birds  ;  among  them  were  two  little  girls,  one 
about  eleven  years  of  age,  the  other  about  nine. 
The  oldest  girl  could  not  make  friends  with  them  at 
all.  They  squalled  at  her,  flew  off  to  the  highest 
furniture  in  the  room,  and  she  had  finally  to  gc 


208 


MERRY'S     BOOK 


away  witliout  having  made  tlie  first  step  to  win 
their  favor. 

Presently  the  younger  girl  came  in.  In  less  than 
five  minutes  the  birds  had  flown  down  ;  one  was  on 
her  head,  another  on  her  shoulder  pulling  her  ear- 
rings ;  the  third  was  pecking  something  from  her 
fingers.  While  the  little  girl  was  perfectly  delight- 
ed at  her  conquest  of  these  very  fastidious  young 
citizens,  she  played  with  them  several  hours,  tliey 
seeming  to  consider  her  nothing  more  or  less  than 
another  bird,  introducing  her  to  all  their  secrets, 
brush  and  all  I 

After  a  long  frolic,  tlie  birds  grew  sleepy,  and  as 
the  little  girl  sat  in  a  low  chair,  one  after  the  other 
settled  themselves  in  her  lap  for  a  nap.  They  were 
very  tired  and  were  soon  sound  asleep.     The  little 


OF     B  I  R  D  J5 .  209 

girl  sat  still  as  a  mouse  for  a  Iodp:  time,  when  sud- 
denly she  whispered,  *'  See  Mrs.  W.,  these  dear  lit- 
tle birds  all  sleep  in  the  same  position,  their  heads 
all  turned  the  same  w^ay  I  and  every  time  one 
changes  its  position  all  the  others  do.  Are  they 
not  pretty  ?" 

And  indeed  they  were  pretty,  their  light-brown 
backs  shining  in  the  same  rays  of  light,  their  heads 
hid  under  their  right  wings,  and  so  tiny,  soft,  and 
still,  that  I  did  not  wonder  at  her  exclamation  and 
admiration  of  them.  Besides,  how  tame  they  were  I 
She  constantly  caressed  them,  passing  her  little 
fingers  over  their  feathers,  patting  and  whispering 
to  them  wiiile  they  slept. 

In  the  same  way  they  treated  our  friend  B.,  how 
came  sometimes  to  see  us  and  them.  He  loved  the 
little  birds,  and  they  seemed  to  love  him,  and  thus 
they  always  continued  to  make  distinctions  between 
people. 

I  have  not  time  to  tell  you,  in  this  paper,  all  the 
many  droll  and  pleasant  things  in  the  lives  of  our 
pet  wrens.  Of  their  antics,  at  their  first  introduc- 
tion to  a  cricket,  or  a  locust,  their  subsequent  valor 
in  the  attack  of  the  liveliest  of  all  the  insects  we 
found  for  them,  when,  after  long  rambles  and  hunts 
for  bugs  under  logs,  tearing  away  the  dead  bark 
from  fallen  trunks  of  trees,  lifting  stones  and  dig- 
ging into  the  earth  after  spiders,  etc.,  we  returned 
with  all  sorts  of  treasures  of  food  for  them  ;  or  how 
they  learned  the  use  of  the  dry  sand-bath,  which  wo 


210 

prepared  for  them,  and  how  they  would  bask  in  the 
sunshine  as  they  lay  in  the  sand,  tossing  it  over 
their  backs,  sifting  it  through  and  through  their 
feathers  ;  and  even  their  wonder  and  timid  play, 
when  we  took  them  into  the  woods  or  fields  with 
us,  and  let  them  run  about.  Ah,  that  was  a  pretty 
sight !  They  seemed  to  think  the  world  so  large, 
and  bare,  and  full  of  strange  gigantic  forms,  and  they 
would  gaze  about  them,  and  then  run  to  us  for  pro- 
tection ;  and  when  we  showed  them  bugs,  out-doors, 
they  were  always  half  afraid,  unless  we  sat  down 
upon  the  ground  by  them,  while  they  conquered  and 
devoured  them. 

All  these  things  we  must  pass  hastily  over,  or  we 
shall  never  tell  you  all  we  most  want  to  tell  you 
about  them,  or  our  other  pets. 

One  fantastic  caper,  liowever,  we  must  tell  you. 
We  had  made  a  collection  of  rare  young  birds — ■ 
little,  little  things — too  small  to  have  any  but  pin- 
feathers  and  down  upon  their  bodies.  And  they, 
were  such  ugly  things,  with  fat  bodies,  some  kinds 
looking  like  balls  of  yellow  butter  ;  &ome  purple, 
looking  like  ripe  plums  ;  some  red  ;  and  but  for 
their  mouths,  which  were  beautiful,  and  when  they 
stretched  themselves  up  in  their  several  nests — 
which  we  kept  together  in  the  same  open  basket — 
and  all  at  the  same  moment,  their  wide  mouths 
bloomed — we  seemed  to  have  suddenly  had  placed 
before  us  a  little  parterre  of  rare  wild  flowers,  in- 
stead of  thoFC  ungainly  forms — and  then  tlie  odor 


0  F     B  I  R  D  S  .  211 

which  their  little  lungs  poured  through  the  throats 
of  tliose  blossoms  was  as  rare  as  they. 

We  have  often  raised  birds  from  this  age,  so  that 
you  need  not  be  surprised  that  we  should  have  taken 
birds  so  young  from  their  mothers,  for  you  will 
recollect  that  it  was  always  our  purpose  to  under- 
stand all  about  them,  from  the  beginning. 

But  to  return.  The  appearance  of  these  little 
birds,  or  monsters,  as  the  wrens  evidently  thought 
them,  seemed  to  excite  much  astonishment,  consider- 
able jealousy,  and  a  firm  determination  on  the  part 
of  the  three  pets  not  to  be  superseded  by  these  par- 
ticipants of  our  care.  If  we  fed  the  young  strangers, 
then  in  an  instant  we  had  "  Bob,"  "  Mouse,"  and 
"Lady  "  mounted  on  the  edge  of  the  basket,  their 
wings  lifted  higher  than  those  of  the  birds  below, 
their  necks  stretched  longer,  their  mouths  wide  as 
possible,  and  their  stronger  lungs  making  all  the 
noise  they  could,  so  as  to  compel  us  to  feed  them 
first  ;  which  we  were  half  the  time  obliged  to  do  to 
get  rid  of  them. 

And  to  be  sure,  rid  we  were  of  their  clamors,  to 
be  astonished  at  the  coolness  with  which  first  one, 
then  another,  would  quietly  drop  himself  into  a  nest, 
crowd  aside  the  young  ones,  and  have  snugly  sur- 
rounded liimself  by  their  hot,  fat  bodies,  tuck  his 
head  beneath  his  wing,  just  keeping  one  eye  slightly 
open,  to  judge  of  the  efifect  his  impudence  would 
have  upon  us,  or  tlie  innocent  owners  of  the  nest, 
who,  of  course,  were  too  unconscious  to  comprehend 


212  merry's    book 

•what  was  going  oi/,  while  we  had  to  scold  and  langh 
and  protect  the  poor  little  things. 

One  day  we  had  occasion  to  open  our  portfolio  to 
seek  a  drawing  of  ours.  The  birds  were  as  usual 
playing  about  us.  AVe  had,  by  the  way,  thrown  our 
portfolio  open  upon  the  bed,  and  commenced  throw- 
ing out  the  drawings,  soon  covering  the  bed  with 
them.  The  wrens  thought  this  fine  fun  ;  they  were 
hopping  over  the  papers,  bounding  up  at  every  un 
usually  loud  crackling  of  them,  dragging  one  sheet 
here  to  the  edge  of  the  bed,  and  dropping  it  over  to 
see  it  float  off,  diving  under  others,  running  through 
some  rolls  of  paper  which  lay  there,  too  ;  in  short, 
perfectly  mad  with  the  new  excitement. 

Suddenly — tchir-r-r-r  !  tchir-r-r-r !  tcbir-r-r-r  !  rang 
out  the  silver  twang  of  that  invisible  triangle  I  We 
looked  up.  There  mounted  on  the  tip-top  angle  of 
our  large  pillow,  stood  Master  "  Bob,'^  his  eyes  w^ide 
open  as  they  could  be,  his  head  flattened  like  a 
snake's,  his  stump  of  a  tail  over  his  back,  his  body 
presenting  first  one  side,  and  tlicn  the  otlier  as  he, 
with  a  jerking  swing  of  the  body  upon  the  pivot  of 
the  toes,  lowered  his  breast  at  every  swing  and  sang 
out,  with  an  air  of  intense  excitement,  that  metallic 
tchir-r-r-r ! 

The  other  two  were  equally  agitated.  "  Lady  " 
had  gathered  her  dark  feathers  together,  and  crouch- 
ing or  tip-toeing  behind  "  Bob,"  who  was  her  favored 
admirer,  she  added  her  more  than  mite  to  the  furor 
which  "  Bob  "  was  making.     "  Mouse,"  at  the  other 


OP     BIRDS.  213 

end  of  the  bed,  was  doing  his  very  best  to  outdo 
him,  and,  for  a  moment  or  two,  I  was  completely  at 
a  loss  to  know  the  meaning  of  this  sudden  outbreak. 

When  our  voice  joined  the  clamor,  "  Bob  ''  carao 
down  with  a  bounce,  toward  the  center  of  the  bed  ; 
then  halting  suddenly,  vociferating  in  the  most  ex- 
traordinary manner,  his  body  thrown  backward, 
while  he  was  fairly  tip-toe  with  excitement ! 

We  now  saw  what  was  the  cause  of  the  tumult. 
A  colored  drawing,  representing  a  thrush,  lay  there, 
slightly  elevated  at  one  corner.  I  withdrew  it  from 
the  others,  and  stood  it  up  against  a  pillow.  "  Bob" 
followed,  screaming,  while  the  other  two  squalled, 
and  Avatchcd  the  result^  for  it  now  became  very 
evident  that  there  was  a  skirmish  on  hand. 

After  several  times  nerving  himself  to  the  attack, 
and  each  time  retreating,  at  the  very  "  tug  of  war," 
"  Bob  "  made  a  dash — pecked  at  the  very  extreme 
tip  of  the  painted  thrush's  wing  !  Back  again ! 
Again  !  For  a  moment  "  Bob  "  stood  and  stared — 
his  squalls  ceased — the  cries  of  the  others  grew 
faint,  like  dying  echoes  ! 

Again  I  This  time  the  bill  of  the  thrush  was  the 
mark  !  What  I  no  resistance  ?  "  Bob  ''  nearly 
pitched  sideways  with  astound  !  leaning  his  full 
weight  on  the  right  leg  and  foot,  while  the  other 
foot  scarce  touched  the  bed.  Again  he  attacks  I 
This  time  in  faith,  with  a  plunge,  enough  to  annihi- 
late even  a  paper  bird  ;  the  mark  is  the  eye ! 

"  Mouse  "    and    "  Lady "   have    descended,    and 


2U 

stand  eagerly  watching — uttering  at  intervals  their 
tchir-r-r-r,  but  with  an  undecided  emphasis  !  "  Bob  " 
makes  one  other  advance — this  time  slowly  ;  he 
stands  confronting  tliis  thrush.  "  He  does  not 
resist  yet,  hey — well,  then,"  said  "  Bob's  manner, 
"  he  is  no  bird  !  I  disdain  any  further  knowledge 
of  him  !''  and  he  turned  his  back  upon  him,  while 
"  Lady  "  continued  yet  some  time  to  scrutinize  this 
semblance  and  "  Mouse "  ran  behind  the  paper, 
pecked  at  the  edges,  stood  on  tip-toe  beside  it, 
perched  on  the  top  of  it,  and  finally,  also  came  to 
tlie  conclusion  that  it  was  a  humbug  ! 

Mr.  W.  went  away  for  a  few  days  about  this  time, 
and  befo^^e  he  started  bade  me  take  good  care  of  the 
•'little  folks"  which  I  promised  to  do,  you  may  rest 
assured,  for  we  had  grown  to  love  them  dearly.  In 
a  day  or  two  afler  his  departure,  I  started  to  go  to 
the  post-office,  which  was  about  two  miles  and  a 
half  distance. 

I  say,  started.  For  some  reason  I  could  not  bear 
the  idea  of  leaving  my  room.  I  had  a  feeling  tliat 
some  unfortunate  event  was  about  to  occur.  What 
could  it  be  ?  My  birds  were  perfectly  well — never 
gayer  and  more  endearing  than  this  morning  ;  every 
window  was  shut,  they  could  not  escape  !  nothing 
could  reach  them  in  shape  of  cat,  or  otlier  vicious 
enemy.  What  then  ?  At  last  I  went  on,  feeling 
sad,  but  determined  to  hasten  back  as  soon  as  I 
could. 

On  my  return  toward  home  I  found  a  number  of 


OF     BIRDS.  215 

their  favorite  hugs,  etc.,  and  had  quite  a- budget  of 
rarities  for  them,  and  liad  besides  almost  reasoned 
myself  out  of  the  idea  of  danger  to  them.  Arrived, 
I  hastened  to  my  room.  All  was  silent.  "  Dear 
birdies,  come  down  and  see  what  I  have  brought 
yon.     Come,  '  Bob  !'  '  Mouse  !'  '  Lady  !'  " 

"  Mouse  "  came,  slowly  and  alone.  I  showed  him 
the  ant's  eggs,  the  crickets,  green  grasshoppers,  and 
all  the  other  nice  things  I  had  brought,  thinking  as 
I  continued  to  call,  that  the  two  hid-away  little  dar- 
lings could  not  long  resist  his  exclamations  of  won- 
der, joy,  and  eager  appreciation  of  what  I  had 
brought. 

Nobody  came,  however.  I  became  alarmed.  I 
commenced  to  look  for  them.  At  length  "  Lady  " 
stretched  her  head  over  the  edge  of  the  bed-tester, 
and  at  my  repeated  entreaties  came  down  to  my 
hand.  But  where  was  "  Bob  !"  I  called,  I  searched 
in  all  the  cradles.  No  "Bob!"  No  "Bob!''  I 
was  on  the  point  of  running  down  stairs  to  ask  who 
had  seen  him,  when  oh  1  oh  !  my  poor  bird,  my  dar- 
ling little  hero !  he  lay  before  me  on  the  writing- 
table,  still,  so  still  I  his  attitude  natural,  no  appear- 
ance of  convulsion — only  as  if  he  had  dropped  in 
flight  across  the  room,  and  died  in  an  instant !  He 
was  scarcely  cold  !  He  must  have  died  just  before 
I  came  into  the  room  I 

The  next  morning  poor  little  "  Lady  "  died  too  I 
She  came  into  the  bed,  and  nestled  close  to  my 
cheek,  ah,  so  lovingly,  her  little  weary  heart  was 


216  M  E  R  R  Y  '  S     B  0  0  K 

nearly  broken.  She  had  come  to  me  for  sympathy. 
She  talked  to  me  in  whispered,  slow  melody  ;  she 
asked  for  her  friend  "Bob." 

When  ''  Mouse  "  came  hopping  across  my  fore- 
head and  breast  to  seek  shelter  from  the  solitude, 
she  would  start  up  with  a  cry  so  piteous,  that  my 
heart  ached. 

Once,  when  tliis  happened,  she  fell  back  as  if  she 
was  dead.  I  sprang  up,  and  threw  water  upon  her 
breast.  She  recovered  then,  and  I  held  her  till  she 
was  dry  and  warm  again,  caressing  her  and  hoping 
she  would  take  comfort  in  the  love  I  gave  her.  At 
last,  while  I  was  dressing,  she  flew  toward  me,  sud- 
denly, and  dropped  at  my  feet,  dead  ! 

I  will  not  dwell  longer  upon  these  sad  events. 
Enough,  that  my  last  wren,  poor  '^  Mouse/'  turned 
to  us  for  consolation.  We  took  him  with  us  wher- 
ever we  went.  He  was  our  constant  companion, 
out-doors  and  in.  He  was  sad  and  lonely,  and  we 
pitied  him  with  our  whole  heart.  Orie  and  he  were 
great  friends.  But  Orie  was  too  old  a  companion 
for  "  Mouse." 

One  morning,  three  or  four  days  after  "  Bob  "  and 
"  Lady  "  went  away,  "  Mouse  "  was  playing  on  the 
window-sill,  and  a  troop  of  hemp-birds  settled  on 
the  locust  tree.  They  coaxed  him  a  long  time  to 
join  them,  and  after  maiiy  parting  glances  at  us,  and 
many  returns,  he  went  off  with  them. 

Orie's  cage-door  was  generally  open.  This  morn- 
ing it  was  open,  and   Orie  silently  departed  also, 


0  F     B  I  RD  S.  217 

leaving  us  alone  !  We  were  deeply  grieved,  but  we 
could  not  be  so  cruel  as  to  restrain  the  wills  of 
these  charming  friends,  now  that  our  former  cheer- 
ful home  was  filled  with  gloom. 

No  !  no !  it  was  far  better  for  them  to  seek  the 
sunshine,  and  green  woods.  But  "  Mouse  "  did  not 
forget  us.  We  were  going  down  the'lane — we  told 
you  about  in  the  beginning  —  which  led  to  the 
spring,  where  we  found  our  pets,  and  we  were 
greeted  by  familiar  sounds.  We  turned  hastily. 
There,  on  the  fence,  nearly  down  to  the  spring, 
stood  "  Mouse,''  looking  so  gay,  so  weU^  and  so 
happy,  and  ringing  out  such  a  merry  gre^-iing,  and 
hearty  farewell,  that  we  laughed  with  joy,  and  tried 
to  forget  all  our  sorrows. 


218  jierry's    book 


THE  JOLLY  OLD  CROW. 

On  the  limb  of  an  oak  sat  a  jolly  old  crow, 
And  chatted  away  with  glee,  loiih  glee, 

As  he  saw  the  old  farmer  go  out  to  sow  ; 
And  he  cried,  "  It  is  all  for  me— for  me. 

**  Look,  look,  how  he  scatters  his  seeds  around, 
He  is  wonderful  kind  to  the  poor — the  poor  ; 

If  he'd  empty  it  down  on  a  pile  on  the  ground, 
I  could  find  it  much  better  I'm  sure — Fm  sure! 

"  I've  learned  all  the  tricks  of  this  wonderful  man. 
Who  has  such  a  regard  for  the  crow — the  crow, 

That  he  lays  out  his  grounds  in  a  regular  plan, 
And  covers  his  corn  in  a  row — a  roiv .' 

"  He  must  have  a  very  great  fancy  for  me ; 

He  tries  to  entrap  me  enough — enough  ; 
But  I  measure  his  distance  as  well  as  he, 

And  when  he  comes  near,  Vm  off— I'm  off/'* 


OF     BIRDS 


219 


THE   FAIRY   IN   THE   WOOD. 

ONE  day  as  Mr.  W.  returned  to  the  house  he 
said,  "  I  have  seen  a  fairy,  and  know  where  she 
lives !  But  shall  not  tell  anybody.  If  any  one 
wants  to  know  a  fairy,  he  must  seek  her  himself!" 

In  spite  of  all  my  entreaties,  Mr.  W.  would  not  tell 
me  what  the  fairy's  name  was,  or  give  me  any  fur- 
ther intelligence  than  this.  If  I  went  to  the  squir- 
rel tree,  went  up  the  wood-path  over  the  hill,  sixty 
paces,  to  a  fallen  tree,  turned  off  fifteen  paces  to  an 
upright  stick,  and  then  followed  a  trail  ten  paces 
more,  it  would  lead  to  the  fairy's  house. 

I  determined  to  find  it,  and  the  next  afternoon 
set  out.     It  was  my  first  lesson  in  woodcraft,  and 


220  MERRY'S     BOOK 

Mr.  W.  was  determined  not  to  help  me  ;  but  walked 
after  me,  laughing  and  assuring  me  that  the  fairy 
did  not  disclose  her  secret  to  everybody. 

At  a  squirrel  tree  we  paused.  I  must  think  all 
the  route  out  first ;  and  after  I  had  fixed  the  direc- 
tion in  my  mind  I  started,  Mr.  W.  still  following, 
laughing.  The  sixty  paces  carefully  marked  off, 
found  me  at  the  fallen  tree,  on  the  hill  by  the  wood- 
path.  Turning  to  the  left,  after  twice  returning  to 
the  tree,  the  fifteen  paces  brought  me  to  the  upright 
stick,  which  Mr.  W.  had  planted. 

There  I  halted.  Now  came  the  difficulty.  What 
was  the  trail  made  of?  Sticks,  perhaps,  or  leaves, 
or — I  could  not  tell  what.  I  turned  round  and 
looked  at  Mr.  W.  He  stood  in  the  centre  of  the 
path,  watching  me  with  a  quizzical  expression.  This 
was  enough.  I  would  not  fail  now  I  My  eyes 
glanced  round  over  the  ground,  then  I  began  to 
scan  every  object — suddenly  my  eye  caught  a  slen- 
der stem,  pointing  in  an  oblique  direction  ahead  of 
me.  I  stepped  forward  and  followed  the  trait,  as  I 
thought  it. 

It  seemed  to  extend  in  a  perfect  line,  but  to  my 
chagrin,  at  the  end  of  it  I  saw  no  fairy's  house  or 
fairy  !  I  retraced  my  steps  without  looking  at  Mr. 
W.  I  counted,  and  found  it  too  long,  and  then  came 
back  to  the  upright  stick.  I  turned  round  and 
round — crossed  the  path,  and  looked — no  trail ! 

I  stopped  to  think.  I  almost  despaired,  but  it 
would  never  do  to  give  up.     Suddenly  my  eye  fell 


0  P     B  I  R  D  S  221 

upon  a  piece  of  wood — a  mossy  branch,  around 
which  no  leaves  were  clustered,  no  spears  of  grass 
were  bending  over  it,  only  a  twig  lying  across  it  I 

Ah,  ha !  and  catching  the  idea,  my  eye  wandered 
over  the  ground.  I  saw  it  all.  Eight  feet  distant, 
a  long  branch  lay  across  the  roots  of  a  tree,  and  it 
was  in  a  line  with  this  mossy  branch,  which  I  now 
divined  did  not  belong  where  it  lay. 

I  hurried  forward  ;  as  I  reached  the  end  of  the 
long  branch,  Mr.  W.  called  out  as  he  sprang  for- 
ward, "  Stop  !  stop  !" 

I  stopped.     I  had  discovered  the  fairy  I 

Sure  enough,  I  had  discovered  the  fairy  1  In  the 
shadow  of  large  tree-trunks,  nine  or  ten  steps  in  ad- 
vance of  us,  vanishing  with  fleet  glide  into  the  tan- 
gle of  stems  and  dead  leaves  which  covered  all  the 
floor  of  the  woods,  her  little  feet  making  a  light 
patter,  like  the  hesitating  fall  of  rain  drops  in  sum- 
mer nights  that  seek  the  thirsty  wild  flowers,  at  the 
base  of  grim,  gray,  mossy  rocks,  her  eye  gleaming 
soft  and  beseechingly  at  us,  as  she  turned  her 
brown-bared  head — uttering  no  sound  from  her 
lovely  throat,  but  departing  silently,  as  if  she  meant 
to  test  our  magnanimity,  flitting  away  toward  her 
lord  in  the  forest,  our  fairy  was  gone. 

We  paused  ;  Mr.  W.  pointed  toward  a  little 
mound  on  the  ground,  so  naturally  thrown  up  above 
the  surrounding  twigs  and  dry  leaves,  that  I  could 
not  see  it  even  then,  until  he  took  a  stick  and 
almost  touched  it. 


222  merry's    book 

"  There,"  said  Mr.  W.  "  our  fairy  keeps  her  jew- 
els." I  wanted  sadly  to  get  a  peep  at  them,  but 
the  entreaty  of  our  fairy's  glance  had  touched  my 
heart.  I  could  not  summon  courage  to  gratify  my 
curiosity,  at  the  risk  of  having  the  jewel-box  and 
jewels  vanish.  No  ;  I  determined  to  bide  my  time 
patiently — in  a  few  days,  a  week  at  most,  the  gentle 
fairy  would,  perhaps,  permit  us  to  gaze  at  her  treas- 
ure ! 

So,  with  whispering  voices  and  careful  steps,  we 
retreated  from  the  enchanted  ground  I  We  almost 
trembled  when  we  thought — how  can  this  wee  fairy 
be  secure  against  the  intrusive  visits  of  dogs,  cats, 
raccoons,  snakes,  opossums,  squirrels,  and  all  the 
other  creatures  which  gambol,  prowl,  or  hunt  over 
the  face  of  the  forest  ?  What  if  some  huge  spider 
should  spring  with  sudden  hunger  out  of  his  deep 
hole  in  the  ground,  and  with  greedy  eyes  spy  out 
the  fairy's  castle — stretch  out  his  long  hairy  legs, 
and  with  agile  plunge  settle  himself  amid  her  treas- 
ures I 

Think  of  a  spider  among  pearls  !  or,  panting  be- 
neath the  surface  of  the  black  earth-mould,  twisting 
himself  like  a  gimlet,  while  the  dirt  sifts  upward  ; 
what  if  a  goblin,  gray  and  speckled,  with  face  too 
human,  and  terribly  ugly,  with  wrinkled,  broad 
eyelids,  flapping  up  and  down  over  brilliant  goggle- 
eyes,  and  with  two  long,  bony,  skinny  hands  placed 
next  his  sides,  the  palms  outward  and  the  fingers 
pointing  nervously  upward,  as  if  to  ask  pardon  for 


OF     BIRDS.  223 

his  extreme  bideousness — what,  I  say,  if  this  mon- 
ster, this  new-born  toad,  should,  with  unceremonious 
awkwardness,  jump  into  her  casket  ? 

Think  of  a  toad  in  a  fairy's  cradle  1 

But  we  must  away,  or  we  should  become  obnox- 
ious also.  What  claim  had  we  to  linger  near  her  ? 
No,  we  must  away  I  her  little  heart  was,  no  doubt, 
anxiously  throbbing,  lest  her  faith  in  our  generosity 
was  thrown  away  1  Her  bright  eye  filling  with 
tremulous  light  some  dim  shade,  while  she  watched 
for  our  departure,  Her  ear  was  bending  earth- 
ward to  catch  the  last  sound  our  heavy  feet  should 
make.  We  must  away  !  We  must  tread  daintily, 
for  fear  the  clangor  of  our  gigantic  stride  and  foot- 
fall should  scare  away  the  wee  fairy. 

The  tenth  day  from  that  we  determined  should  be 
the  time  for  our  next  visit.  By  that  time,  we 
thought,  we  shall  have  made  up  our  minds  to  be 
very  cruel — we  knew  that  if  we  shrank,  if  our 
hearts  grew  tender,  we  should  never  even  get  a 
peep  at  that  little  fairy  woman's  treasures,  much 
less  be  able  to  possess  one  or  more  of  them. 

Accordingly,  each  day  we  talked  about  what  we 
meant  to  do  ;  how  we  should  manage — at  what 
hour  our  visit  was  to  made,  and  so  on. 

The  tenth  day  arrived.  The  afternoon  was  clear 
and  warm.  But  Mr.  W.  was  in  no  hurry.  The  sun 
went  slowly  down  :  the  shadows  grew  longer  and 
darker  ;  presently  the  blue  haze  in  the  distance  be- 
came gray  and  purple  and  red,  as  the  sun  went  be- 


224  merry's    book 

low  the  horizon — and  now  all  the  shadows  spread 
themselves  over  the  broad  bosom  of  the  earth,  mant- 
ling it  like  a  vail,  drawn  over  the  aged  neck  of 
some  century-old  grand-dam-e. 

A  minute  or  two  all  was  silent — and  then,  as 
long  white  lines  of  moonlight  penetrated  the  forest, 
rose  the  mingled  chirp  of  field-crickets,  tree-frogs, 
and  cicada.  Then  we  sallied  forth.  Slowly  we 
traced  our  way  across  the  farm.  Softly  we  stepped 
— lowly  we  whispered.  Here  we  halted — in  the 
hollow,  where  the  elders  grow  by  the  fence. 

Mr.  W.  carefully  selects  a  long  slender  stem,  and, 
testing  its  elasticity  and  strength,  asked  for  my 
green  vail.  This  I  had  in  my  basket,  and  gave  it 
to  him,  and  watched  with  connoisseuring  air  while 
he  adjusted  it  at  the  point  of  the  stick.  Then  we 
both  tried  what  could  be  done  with  it  for  our  pur- 
pose. 

Mr.  W.  with  cautious  step  advanced  a  little  and 
endeavored  to  capture  a  clump  of  grass,  but  failed, 
and  then  handed  the  net  to  me.  Softly,  slowly  I 
approached  a  group  of  field  flowers,  and  lo  !  I  had 
them  safely  netted  I 

''  So  much  for  a  woman  I"  said  Mr.  W.  "  But 
you  will  not  have  the  nerve  to  do  the  same  thing  at 
the  castle  of  our  fairy,  I  fear." 

I  shook  my  head  in  the  negative.  I  was  quite 
sure  of  that  besides  ;  my  eyes  were  not  so  well  able 
to  penetrate  the  shadows,  and  I  felt  sure  that  our 
scheme  would  fail  if  I  attempted  to  "  net  a  fairy  " 


OP     BIRDS.  225 

in  the  dark.  However,  after  a  few  trials,  Mr.W. 
became  perfect  in  throwing  the  net. 

Arrived  in  th^  woods,  we  took  a  short  cut  across 
to  the  brow  of  the  hill,  some  sixty  steps  from  the 
door  of  madame  the  fairy's  castle.  Here  we  halted. 
Mr.  W.  laid  down  his  powder-flask  and  shot-bag, 
gave  me  his  gun — gave  me  his  hat,  which  I  laid  on 
the  ground  with  my  shawl  and  basket.  Then  re- 
moving his  shoes  from  his  feet,  and  taking  the  elder 
pole  with  the  green  vail  net  at  the  end  of  it,  with  a 
gesture  to  me  which  signified  "  keep  silent,"  he  re- 
treated up  the  wood-path. 

In  the  mean  time,  the  shadows  had  gathered 
blackness,  until  within  the  wood  where  we  were, 
the  trees  stood  solemnly  in  the  stillness,  lighted 
only  at  distant  intervals  by  the  cold,  white  rays  of 
moonlight  which  struggled  through,  blinking  and 
hesitating.  Far  over  head,  with  a  fierce  red  glare, 
one  star  was  visible  through  the  branches. 

All  w^as  still.  I  had  quietly  seated  myself  upon 
the  ground,  bending  forward  to  watch  the  retreat- 
ing dim  figure  of  Mr.  W.,  who  was  now  scarcely 
visible  in  the  distance  and  darkness.  In  a  moment 
more  his  form  was  hidden  from  my  view  entirely  by 
an  intervening  trunk. 

I  listened  1  Not  a  sound  could  I  hear.  A  min- 
ute passed  I  Suddenly,  in  a  clear  whisper,  I  heard 
my  name  called.  I  sprang  forward,  and  glided 
with  instinctive  quiet  into  the  shadows  through 
which  he  had  disappeared.     I  met  him  in  a  moment 


228 

retjirning  toward  me,  and  could  see  tlirou<^li  the 
falling  glimmerings  of  the  moonlight  through  the 
leaves  that  he  carried  something  with  the  jealous 
care  with  which  a  treasure-seeker  would  bear  the 
strange  secret  which  he  had  found. 

I  whispered  — "  What !  what  have  you  done  ? 
Did  you  catch  her  ?  Did  the  vail  answer  ?"  He 
replied  in  a  low  whisper,  as  if  for  fear  the  old  sen- 
tinel-trees around  might  hear — 

"  No,  I  did  not — the  trick  of  the  vail  and  pole 
did  not  answer.  Tread  as  softly  as  1  might,  the 
dried  leaves  and  twigs  would  still  be  crisp  beneath 
my  guarded  tread." 

"  Well,  wliat  have  you  here  ?  what  have  you 
here?" 

"  0,  step  into  the  moonlight  and  see  I  The  fairy 
would  flit,  and  I  have  not  her,  at  least.  0,  I  feel 
sad  that  we  must  do  such  things  !  She  went  away 
like  the  flit  of  a  moonbeam — so  still,  so  soft,  so 
gliding !  I  thought  I  could  see  her  gentle  eyes 
through  all  the  shadows,  looking  with  meek  re- 
proach, as  if  to  say  :  0  savage  monster  I  how  came 
you  here  to  rob  me  of  my  treasure  ?" 

And  then,  as  V70  stepped  iuto  the  opening  of  the 
road,  and  the  broad  moon  came  down  in  a  pale, 
white  sheet  of  silver,  I  saw  he  held  in  his  hand  a 
quaintly  shaped  nest,  such  as  I  had  never  seen  be- 
fore, covered  with  brown  leaves,  and  arched  over 
like  some  fairy  grotto,  lined  with  delicate  and  moss- 
like  roots,  and  the   soft   fibres   of  thin   barks.     I 


OF     BIRDS.  227 

peered  into  this  strange  nest,  and — 0  wonder  !  what 
think  you  ? — the  fairy  pearls  had  changed  to  little 
callow  birds  I  I  said,  "  Why  could  you  take  them 
— are  they  not  too  young  ?" 

"  I  fear  they  are  ;  but  when  I  found  the  capture 
of  the  mother  impossible,  I  did  not  choose  to  risk 
the  loss  of  this  little  goblin  family,  when  I  had 
spent  years  and  years  searching  for  such  a  nest,  and 
all  without  success  until  now.  For  they  are  so 
acute  in  hiding  their  dainty  domicils,  and  frequent 
such  still  and  shadowy  places,  with  such  dreamy, 
gliding  movement,  that  they  are  almost  impalpable 
actualities  to  naturalists.'' 

It  is  an  event  to  find  the  nest  of  the  ground 
thriish  ;  you  might  tramp  on  one  a  thousand  times 
without  knowing  it  in  your  heavy  stalkings  through 
the  sere  leaves  of  forests,  without  ever  seeing  or 
recognizing  her — the  mother — and  with  a  perfect 
ignorance  of  her  existence  ;  unless  you  happened  to 
be  cognizant  of  the  fact,  that  when  a  weary,  lost 
and  sweating  wanderer,  you  sat  down  upon  a  stump 
or  fallen  tree,  in  the  heavy  forest,  with  every  thing 
like  thickets  and  slAdow  about  you,  you  heard  a 
low  and  sweet,  soft  song  that  did  not  aspire  in  its 
notes  to  be  heard  among  the  tree-tops,  but  which 
was  only  meant,  like  the  cricket's  chirrup  by  the 
hearth,  to  be  heard  as  an  undertone  to  inspire  even 
the  underbrush  of  nature  with  a  plaining  harmony. 

0  I  how  do  we  overlook  so  many  of  these  quaint 
and  musical  things  I     Is  the  world  always  to  be 


228  M  E  R  R  Y  \S     BOOK 

sonorous  with  the  screams  of  eagles  from  its  cliffs 
and  tree-tops  !  Is  mankind  always  to  be  overborne 
by  cruel  strength  ?  Are  we  always  to  forget  that 
there  is  an  undertone  of  nature,  and  that  its  most 
mysterious  music  is,  will  be,  and  has  been,  always 
spoken  in  its  "  underbrush,"  where  fairy  people 
most  frequent  ? 

We  took  the  little  gaping,  dim-eyed  birdlings 
home  with  us,  and  gave  them  a  house  in  a  basket, 
tucked  in  with  warm,  soft  silks  and  woolens,  their 
cradle  ;  and  they  soon  became  very  intimate  with 
"  Mother  Brush,"  and  also  with  our  three  pet  wrens, 
"  Bob,"  "  Mouse,"  and  "  Lady  ''—or  rather,  the  lat- 
ter became  well  acquainted  with  these  babies,  after 
having  plunged  themselves  without  ceremony  into 
their  nest,  displacing  their  little  fat  bodies,  to  make 
warm  nestling  places  at  the  bottom  of  the  nest  for 
themselves  to  take  naps  in. 

But  we  have  told  you  about  the  wrens,  and  some 
day  we  will  tell  you  more  about  these  children  of 
the  faries.  At  present,  all  we  can  say  is,  that  we 
never  saw  more  ambitious  little  creatures.  They 
would  run  out  of  the  nest  before  their  feathers  were 
half  grown,  every  time  they  saw  the  *^  Brush,"  and 
such  droll-looking  scamps  as  they  were — their  chief 
beauty  consisting  in  the  fact  that  their  mouths  were 
as  beautiful  as  wild  flowers,  and  their  breath  fra- 
grant as  ripe  nuts  just  fallen  from  the  trees. 

Just  at  this  time  we  had  a  great  deal  to  do — so 
many  nests  to  see  to  every  day.     Over  the  other 


OP     BIRDS.  229 

side  of  the  brook  we  had  a  red  bird's  nest,  a  cat 
bird's  nest,  a  yellow  breasted  warbler's  nest,  an 
indigo  bird's  nest,  beside  several  others.  Up  on 
the  hill  lived  a  blue  bird  in  a  stump,  and  in  the 
wood,  where  our  farics  lived,  were  our  song-thrush- 
es ;  in  the  brier-field,  just  beyond  this  wood,  lived  a 
thrasher,  who  never  hesitated  to  give  me  a  beating 
when  I  went  too  close  to  her  nest.  A  partridge 
had  a  nest  in  the  ground,  with  an  arbor  of  grass  and 
twigs  built  over  it,  under  a  bush.  Sly  thing  !  she 
did  not  know  that  we  knew  all  about  her  secret. 

Then  down  by  the  spring,  where  the  raccoons 
came  of  nights,  were  several  other  nests.  In  fact, 
we  had  as  much  as  we  could  attend  to,  watching 
the  ways  and  oddities  of  all  this  large  family. 

But  our  family  diminished  ;  by  what  means  we 
could  not  for  some  time  imagine.  Sometimes  we 
thought  the  little  darkies  were  keeping  watch  on 
all  our  motions,  and  were  in  the  habit  of  following 
lis  to  steal  our  birds'  nests.  At  other  times  we 
thought  that  the  sheep  or  hogs  destroyed  them  ; 
but  then,  if  they  did  interfere,  the  nests  would  all 
be  broken  down — but  no  !  in  almost  every  instance 
the  nest  was  merely  careened  over,  and  the  eggs  or 
young  carefully  abstracted,  leaving  no  trace  besides 
this. 

At  length,  one  day,  passing  through  the  brier- 
field,  we  were  attracted  by  the  cries  of  a  pair  of 
ground  sparrows.  The  poor  things  were  flying 
back  and  forth,  twittering  and  screaming  apparent- 


230 


merry's    book 


ly  ill  great  distress.     Something  was  the  matter  1 
we  stepped  hurriedly  forward. 

"  Stop  !  stop  !"  At  that  moment  I  cried  out,  Mr. 
W.  lifted  his  rifle  and  fired  !  The  head  of  a  large 
black  snake  fell  to  the  ground,  while  in  the  very 
act  of  making  a  spring  at  us.  The  ugly  reptile  had 
destroyed  the  young  of  these  sparrows,  and  we  now 
realized  the  meaning  of  the  tipped-over  nests.  The 
snake  had,  without  mercy,  either  penetrated  the 
bottoms  of  the  nests  or  had  dexterously  elevated 
himself  above  the  edge  of  the  nest  and  carefully 
taken  out  its  contents. 


THE  GROUND  SPARROW  AND  SNAKE. 


Sometimes    the    birds  quarrel  fiercely  for  their 
homes  and  treasures,  and  quite  often  Master  Snake 


OF     BIRDS 


231 


gets  the  worst  of  it   when  his   quick- winged   foe 
darts  with  keen-edged  bill  upon  his  snakeship. 

Alex.  Wilson,  the  Ornithologist  tells  a  story  of 
this  kind,  where  a  snake  attempts  to  invade  the 
precincts  of  a  cat  bird's  nest.  The  enraged  bird, 
with  feathers  all  lifted,  with  distended  eyes,  and 
shrill  mewings,  fairly  drives  him  to  the  wall,  where 
Mr.  Snake  is  compelled  to  seek  shelter  from  the 
wTath  of  his  valiant  little  foe. 


232 


M  E  R  R  Y    S     BO  ( )  K 


THE   DOVE    OR  PIGEON. 


SOME  animals  are  wild  and  some  are  tame.  The 
wild  ones  keep  out  of  man^s  way,  and  are  seldom 
seen  unless  they  are  hunted.  The  tame  ones,  like 
the  horse,  the  ox,  the  cow,  the  dog,  <fec.,  live  with 
man,  are  taken  care  of  by  him,  and  are  very  useful 
to  him. 

There  are  wild  and  tame  birds  too.    But  the  tame 


OP     BIRDS  233 

birds  are  not  quite  as  tame  as  the  animals.  Even 
the  hen  and  the  duck  does  not  liked  to  be  touched 
by  us.  They  will  stay  about  our  barn-yards,  and 
feed  from  our  hands,  running  after  for  food  and 
water  ;  but  they  are  very  shy  of  being  handled,  and 
rather  difficult  to  be  caught. 

The  dove,  or  pigeon  lives  in  houses  which  we  pro- 
vide for  him,  and  comes  even  to  our  doors  to  be  fed, 
but  he  don't  like  to  trust  himself  in  our  hands.  He 
is  very  timid  and  suspicious  when  any  one  approaches 
him,  and  will  sooner  lose  his  breakfast  or  his  dinner 
than  run  any  risk  of  being  caught ;  and  they  are 
most  afraid  of  man.  You  will  see  them  often  in  the 
barn-yards,  and  in  the  streets,  running  about  among 
the  cows  or  the  horses,  and  under  their  very  feet  to 
pick  up  their  food,  without  any  fear,  though  they 
will  fly  away  at  once  if  a  man  or  a  boy  stops  to  look 
at  them. 

The  wild  pigeons  of  the  forest  are  of  the  same 
race,  but  they  never  come  near  the  dwellings  of 
men,  if  they  can  avoid  it.  They  live  in  the  deep 
woods,  and  make  their  nests  among  the  branches. 

The  dove  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  of  birds, 
though  so  common  that  he  is  not  much  thought  of 
for  his  beauty.  His  form  is  the  perfection  of  bird- 
like beauty,  and  his  motions  are  very  graceful. 
Their  plumage  is  of  various  colors,  but  always  soft 
and  delicate  ;  and  the  neck  is  so  glossy  and  brilliant 
in  its  covering,  and  so  changeable  in  its  hues  as  it 
turns  from  side  to  side  j  the  eyes  are  so  soft  and  ex- 


234:  merry's    book 

presaive,  so  quick  and  tremulous  in  their  movements, 
that  one  cannot  look  at  them  without  admiration 
and  love. 

Doves  are  sometimes  kept  in  cages,  but  they  do 
not  like  it.  They  prefer  to  live  together  in  large 
families,  and  to  have  the  free  range  of  the  air  and 
the  fields  to  gather  their  food.  They  are  not  poly- 
gamists — they  live  faithfully  together  in  pairs,  though 
there  may  be  hundreds  of  them  in  one  small  house. 
Each  pair  has  its  separate  nest,  which  they  never 
mistake. 

The  dove  does  not  sing,  but  has  a  very  soft,  plain- 
tive subdued  note,  without  much  compass  of  variety, 
which  is  called  cooing.  It  seems  to  be  formed  with- 
in, as  if  it  came  from  the  heart,  and  not  from  the 
throat,  and  is  understood  to  be  only  an  expression 
of  affection  for  its  mate.  It  sometimes  has  a  very 
mournful  tone,  as  if  it  were  the  dirge  of  a  lost  love, 
or  a  desolated  family.  The  notes  of  some  species 
are  very  sweet  as  well  as  plaintive.  This  is  especially 
so  with  the  Zenaida  dove,  which  is  found  in  some  of  the 
West  India  Islands.  It  is  related  of  a  pirate,  whose 
resort  was  in  the  wilds  of  one  of  these  islands,  that 
he  was  so  affected  by  the  notes  of  this  dove,  that  he 
was  completely  overcome,  and  resolved  at  once  to 
abandon  his  wicked  course  of  life.  There  was  a 
reproachful  tenderness,  a  soft  pleading  in  the  cooing 
of  this  dove  that  went  right  to  his  heart  and  melted 
it,  like  the  voice  of  a  mother's  love.  He  yielded  to 
its  influence,  escaped  from  the  haunts  of  vice  and 


OP     BIRDS.  235 

crime,  Liid  became  a  man  again,  and  useful  member 
of  society. 

The  Ring  dove  is  very  beautiful.  It  is  a  native  of 
Europe,  and  takes  its  name  from  a  pretty  white 
ring,  or  circle  of  white  feathers  around  its  slate-col- 
ored neck. 

There  is  a  pigeon  found  in  Africa,  with  a  very 
rich  green  plumage,  and  beautiful  blue  eyes  ;  but 
the  prettiest  of  all  is  said  to  be  the  crowned  Goura, 
as  it  is  called,  of  the  East  Indies.  While  beautiful 
in  all  other  respects,  it  has  a  splendid  tuft,  or 
crown  of  feathers  on  its  head. 

But  perhaps  the  most  interesting  and  useful  of  the 
pigeon  race,  is  the  carrier-pigeon,  sometimes  by  way 
of  variety,  called  the  messenger  dove.  The  first 
dove  mentioned  in  any  book  was  a  messenger  dove, 
probably  of  this  very  species.  He  was  employed  by 
Noah,  to  go  out  from  the  ark,  and  ascertain  if  the 
earth  was  dry. 

The  carrier-pigeon  is  trained  to  carry  letters  and 
messages  from  place  to  place,  and  is  very  faithful  to 
its  trust.  It  flies  with  great  rapidity,  and  always 
finds  its  way  to  the  place  to  which  it  is  directed 
with  wonderful  accuracy.  Before  the  magnetic 
telegraph  was  established,  they  were  very  much 
employed  in  conveying  important  messages,  which 
required  great  speed  and  secrecy.  The  telegraph 
has  probably  deprived  them  of  their  occupation. 
Many  very  interesting  and  romantic  stories  are 
told  of  the  carrier,  but  we  have  no  room  for  them 
here.     Thoy  would  fill  a  book  by  themselves. 


236  merry's    book 


THE  BIRD  CATCHER. 

SOME  little  boys  were  once  told  they  could  catch 
a  bird  by  dropping  salt  on  his  tail.  The  follow- 
ing lines  were  written  on  seeing  them  try  the  exper- 
iment : 

Gently,  gently  yet,  young  stranger, 

Light  of  heart  and  light  of  heel ! 
Ere  the  bird  perceives  its  danger, 

On  it  slyly  steal. 
Silence ! — ah  !  your  scheme  is  falling — 

No  :  pursue  your  pretty  prey  ; 
See,  your  shadow  on  the  paliiipj 
Startles  it  away! 

Caution  I  now  you're  nearer  creeping ; 

Nearer  yet — how  still  it  seems  ! 
Sure,  the  winged  creature's  sleeping, 

Wrapt  in  forest  dreams  ! 
Gblden  sights  that  bird  is  seeing — 

Nights  of  green,  or  mossy  bough  ; 
Not  a  thought  it  has  of  fleeing 

Yes,  you'll  catch  it  now. 

How  your  eyes  begin  to  twinkle ! 

Silence !  and  you'll  scarcely  fail. 
Now  stoop  down,  and  softly  sprinkle 

Salt  upon  his  tail. 
Yes,  you  have  it  in  your  tether. 

Never  more  to  skim  the  skies  : 
Lodge  the  salt  on  that  long  feather- 

Ha !  it  flies !  it  flies  I 


'b  > 


OF     BIRDS.  237 

Hear  it — hark  I — amoug  the  bushes, 

Laughing  at  your  idle  lures ! 
Boy,  the  self-same  feeling  gushes 

Thaugh  my  heart  and  yours : 
Baffled  sportsman,  childish  mentor, 

How  have  I  been — hapless  fault ! — 
Led,  like  you,  my  hopes  to  centre 

On  a  grain  of  salt! 

On  what  captures  I've  been  counting, 
Stooping  here,  and  creeping  there ; 
All  to  see  my  bright  hope  mounting 
High  into  the  air. 
Thus  have  the  children  of  all  ages, 

Seeing  bliss  before  them  fly. 
Found  their  hearts  but  empty  cages, 
And  their  hopos — on  high ! 


238  merry's    book 


THE  PARROT. 

IT  does  not  seem  necessarj  to  enter  into  a  detailed 
description  of  a  bird  so  generally  known  as  the 
Parrot.  The  different  species  vary  from  the  size  of 
a  swallow  to  that  of  a  domestic  fowl.- 

The  parrot  genus  includes  about  one  hundred  and 
seventy  known  species,  and  are  mostly  confined  to 
warm  climates.  They  generally  live  together  in 
families,  and  seldom  wander  to  any  considerable 
distance  ;  these  societies  admit  with  difficulty  a 
stranger  among  them,  though  they  live  in  harmony 
with  each  other.  They  are  fond  of  scratching  each 
other's  heads  and  necks,  and  when  they  roost,  nestle 
as  closely  as  possible  together.  Sometimes  as 
many  as  thirty  or  forty  are  sleeping  in  the  hollow 
of  the  same  tree.  There  they  sleep  in  perpendicular 
posture,  clinging  to  the  sides  by  their  claws  and 
bills. 

The  young  shoots  of  various  plants,  tender  buds, 
fruits,  grains,  and  nuts,  which  they  open  with  much 


OF     BIRDS.  239 

adroitness  to  obtain  the  kernel,  are  the  chief  ali- 
ments wliich  the  parrots  use  when  in  a  state  of 
liberty.  In  a  state  of  domestication  they  eat  almost 
every  thing  that  is  offered  to  them.  In  the  forests, 
which  are  their  favorite  retreats,  the  parrots  assem- 
ble in  troops,  and  cause  m.uch  devastation  by  the 
vast  quantity  of  food  which  they  consume^  not 
merely  for  their  subsistence,  but  to  gratify  that 
mania  for  destruction  for  which,  even  in  their 
domestic  state,  they  are  noted.  The  loud  cries  of 
these  bands  are  heard  a  great  way  off,  when  they 
seek  their  last  repast  before  the  setting  of  the  sun. 
By  these  cries  the  planter  has  timely  warning  to 
employ  some  means  of  preventing  these  hosts  of 
destroyers  from  alighting  on  his  newly  sown  fields, 
where,  in  a  short  time,  they  would  not  leave  a  ves- 
tige of  grain. 

Some  species  establish  their  nests  in  the  summits 
of  the  highest  trees.  The  nest  is  composed  of'small 
sticks  and  slender  twigs,  interlaced  with  as  much  art 
as  solidity  ;  the  rest,  and  this  is  by  far  the  greater 
number,  choose  the  trunks  of  holl'ow  trees,  they 
there  amass  dust,  and  arrange  grass  and  the  fila- 
ments of  roots,  dressing  the  interior  with  their  own 
down.  The  female  lays  from  two  to  four  eggs,  al- 
together white,  and  sits  on  them  with  great  con- 
stancy, whilst  the  male  keeps  himself  at  a  small  dis- 
tance from  the  nest,  attending  to  all  the  wants  of 
his  mate. 

Wa  can  not  pass  over  the  sort  of  education  of 


240        merry's    book    of    birds. 

which  parrots  are  susceptible.  They  learn  to  speak 
and  can  retain  and  repeat  a  tolerably  long  series 
of  words.  This  is  the  result  of  a  forced  modifica- 
tion of  the  voice,  to  which  they  have  been  brought 
by  the  habit  of  hearing  the  same  words  or  sounds 
frequently  repeated  ;  and  which,  by  the  instinct  of 
imitation  common  to  all  animals,  but  perhaps  more 
strongly  developed  in  the  parrot  than  in  most 
others,  they  are  able  to  retain. 


THE  UNIVERSITY  LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA,  SANTA  CRUZ 

SCIENCE  LIBRARY 


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